18-year-old helps rescue woman from Tampa home next to abandoned house fire

Teen rescues woman before fire reaches her home

An 18-year-old is being credited for his bravery for helping rescue a woman from a house next door to a home that was engulfed in flames. FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - An 18-year-old is being credited for his bravery for helping rescue a woman from a house next door to a home that was engulfed in flames.

What we know:

As the fire began to spread, 18-year-old Shakur MacCrone ran toward the danger to try to save a neighbor.

"I ran outside, I looked down there, I said, ‘It’s a fire!’" said Shakur.

McCrone and his nephew realized an older woman was inside the house next door. They rushed to her door, pounding and shouting as the fire intensified nearby.

"We both started banging on the door trying to get her out because we knew she was in there," McCrone said.

As flames crept closer to the home, a fire inspector driving by spotted the blaze and stopped to help. McCrone said the conditions were intense.

"The wind, it was pushing the fire. Like you can feel it. It was so hot," he said.

Courtesy: Tampa Fire Rescue

Despite the fear, McCrone said he knew they had to act quickly.

"It's so scary. I was worried about burning myself," he said.

When the door would not open at first, McCrone kept trying.

"I ran on the porch trying to open the door because it was locked. I was like, ‘The door’s locked, the door is locked!’ So then we finally got it opened, and I helped her down from the porch all the way across the street," he said.

Firefighters later confirmed the woman’s home briefly caught fire before crews knocked down the flames. The abandoned house, however, was destroyed.

Courtesy: Tampa Fire Rescue

"That house was gutted prior to the fire. Because of that instability, we pulled all our firefighters out. So that way they would not be injured," said Vivian Shedd, a spokesperson for Tampa Fire Rescue.

What they're saying:

In the neighborhood, attention turned to the teen who ran toward the flames.

"They didn’t worry about anything, not even themselves. They went in immediately to save the lady," said Michael Bellamy, McCrone’s brother.

McCrone said helping others came naturally. 

"I always wanted to be a fireman at first, like, but now I want to be a nurse, but it’s always been my nature to help people. So, that was like my first instinct: to go help someone first," he said.

What's next:

Investigators are still working to determine what sparked the fire.

"It was frequented by vagrants, so that could be a cause. But right now, our investigators are on scene to identify what’s going on," Shedd said.

Firefighters spent about an hour putting out the flames. The woman who was rescued was taken to the hospital as a precaution and is expected to be okay.