By: Heather Graf
Nashville, Tenn. - A local man narrowly escapes from his burning home, and he says some quick-thinking neighbors are the only reason he's alive.
It happened early Sunday morning at a house on Bellevue Road.
Neighbors, Ralph and Elaine Dunphy, were walking their dogs nearby when they noticed smoke coming from the house.
"So we turned around and came back, and my wife called 911," said Ralph Dunphy. "Then I ran around the house and found a hammer, and just started pounding on the door."
Inside, Nathan Wright, 21, was the only one home, fast asleep.
"I just woke up to a loud banging, and then I realized I smelled smoke," he said. "I opened my door and just saw a wall of smoke right in front of me, so I had to open the window and jump out."
Wright says he struggled to find the words to thank the Dunphys for what they did.
"They saved my life. I can't really say anything else. I might not be here now," he said.
Ralph and Elaine say any good neighbor would do the exact same thing.
"His mother and father are very relieved and very happy, and that's all that matters," said Elaine.
Nathan Wright was the only person home at the time and was not injured. The family's five cats did not survive.
Firefighters say the home is a total loss. Investigators are still working to determine exactly how the fire got started.
email: hgraf@newschannel5.com
