SWEETWATER, FLA. (WSVN) - A Sweetwater man credited his neighbors with saving his life after, he said, they warned him that his house was on fire.
Dramatic doorbell surveillance video captured a woman as she frantically shouted for Rigoberto Rio and the other occupants to get out of their house.
She was alerting Rio about the massive fire that had sparked overnight Sunday at his home near Southwest Seventh Street and 113th Avenue.
Speaking with 7News on Thursday through a translator, Rio said his next-door neighbors woke him up at around 4:15 a.m.
“They almost knocked down my door, and we immediately ran out,” he said. “I ran outside to see it for myself, and the fire was huge.”
Rio said he was celebrating his birthday the night before the fire.
Fire officials said a power line near the home sparked the flames.
“The Red Cross has helped me, not a lot, but they have helped me,” said Rio.
Cellphone video captured some of the damage inside the home. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Rio said the people he really wants to say thank you to are his neighbors.
“Because of them, I’m alive,” he said.
Authorities placed a sign on the front door of the home that says the building is unsafe.
“You know how this is. I’ll move forward, because there is no other choice,” said Rio.
Friends of Rigoberto Rio have created a GoFundMe page to help him during this time. Click here if you would like to donate.
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