By Joe Johnson
Stephen Ford and Gabby Stanley were driving to Ford's home on Nowhere Road Saturday morning when they couldn't believe what they saw: thick black smoke billowing from a house across the street with the front completely in flames.
Without thinking twice Ford sprang into action and found out that people were still inside and yelling for help. Stanley called 911 and told a dispatcher about the unreal scene they had found.
Ford ran to the back but the door was locked shut, so he kicked it in and a young boy ran out.
The 20-year-old construction worker heard someone still calling for help, so Ford reached into the acrid blackness until he felt and grabbed a woman to pull her out to safety.
Another passersby also had stopped to help, but Classic City News was not able to learn his identity.
Stanley helped to comfort the 49-year-old woman who was crying about her father still being inside, but the blaze was too intense for anyone to help.
"I ran to them to help comfort them and hugged the mom while she was crying in my arms," Stanley said, "It was the saddest thing ever knowing that the grandpa was still inside."
An official incident report noted that even firefighters were unable to enter the structure and had to fight the fire from outside.
It wasn't until later that the woman's elderly father was found deceased just seven feet from the door, according to the report.
Two other lives may have been lost if it hadn't been for the heroic efforts of Ford.
"I’m so proud of my boyfriend Stephen," Stanley said. "If he hadn’t opened that door and reached to pull them out they wouldn’t of made it."
She added, "It all felt like a crazy dream. God definitely put us there at the right moment."
The female resident and her 15-year-old son were transported to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center and were in stable condition, according to the Nicholson Fire Department report, which indicated that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
The house at 3652 Nowhere Road is in Jackson County, just over the line from Athens-Clarke.