Durham Housing Authority maintenance worker saves elderly, disabled woman from apartment fire

Karuan Goldsberry said he had just finished lunch on Aug. 6 and was on the way to his next assignment when he heard fire alarms and a woman screaming for help.

"I immediately took action, got her out of there first, and then, went back in to make sure nobody was inside the unit," described Goldsberry.

The elderly, disabled woman who lived inside the unit had not had time to call 911 for help before Goldsberry arrived.

"Where the fire was located at in the master bedroom, I just opened the door and nothing but smoke came out," he said. "There was a whole fireball. I believe her mattress was set on fire. I just closed the door and got back out of there once I realized that no one else was inside the unit."

Goldsberry said it was hard to breathe while inside the apartment, but wearing a N95 mask helped.

"I just took action [and] did what I had to do to get her out of there as fast as possible," said Goldsberry. "I basically took her arm around my shoulder and kind of picked her up to get her outside of the house."

Goldsberry had only been working for DHA for three weeks when the fire happened.

"I really don't consider myself a hero," he said. "I'm just doing my job as a DHA employee and just as a human."

"When it's time to take action, I really don't think -- I do," Goldsberry added.

While Goldsberry said that, when he was a teenager he thought about becoming a volunteer firefighter, for now, he's happy with his current position.

DHA officials said the fire started from a cigarette lit by the tenant. The woman is being moved into a new apartment.