A Davenport man, who was out for a morning walk, was in the right place at the right time to help his neighbor escape her burning home.
Initial reports indicated a candle may have started a fire in Mary Hellen Cardenas' home in the 1200 block of Warren Street on Monday, November 17, 2014.
David Lipke was walking by the house when he saw flames coming from a second-story bedroom window just before 10:30 a.m.
"I figured well, somebody's got to be in there, 'cause there was a car there. So, I went up to the front door, banging on the front door," Lipke said.
He was right. Mary Hellen was asleep inside the burning house. Lipke was able to wake her up, and get her out of the house.
"I went back up, trying to get the dogs out," Lipke said, "by then, you couldn't put it out with the fire extinguisher. The whole ceiling was engulfed."
The two dogs, Ian and Mia, were rescued. Fire investigators said two cats perished in the fire.
Lipke said he did what anyone would have done in the same situation.
Mary Hellen said she recalled lighting a candle upstairs before she fell asleep.
"Thank God the whole house didn't burn down and that I'm alive," Mary Hellen said.