SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Opinion

August 31, 2010

Thanks: Quick response, good neighbors saved Salem family

To the editor:

On Wednesday, Aug. 11, we lost our beloved dog, Nacho, and our home to fire.

We were saved from the same horrible fate by the incredibly quick response of our neighbors and the Salem police, Fire Department and EMTs.

I write to express in some small way our profound gratitude to all of these wonderful people.

There were moments in the course of our early morning ordeal when things could have ended very differently:

If our neighbors across the way, the Murrays, hadn't heard our house alarm and called 911; if Jim Raymond, our good neighbor next door, hadn't realized we were trapped and used his ladder to get us out the upstairs window; if the Fire Department hadn't arrived quickly and weren't so skillful in fighting the fire.

There is no question that our lives were preserved as a result of these actions, and we will be eternally thankful for these people's help.

Further, we owe a debt of thanks to the ladies who gave me shelter in their hallway, gave us water to wash the smoke from our throats and gave me slippers to wear; the police officers, Sgt. Hanson and Officer Verrette, who gave us their help and concern during those first chaotic moments; and the EMTs who took us into their care, gave us reviving oxygen and transported us to Salem Hospital.

We believe we were saved by our community, and we're proud and grateful to be Salem residents.

The Rowe Family

Salem

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