‘Thank God for him’: NC veteran thanks man for saving his life after apartment catches on fire

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A North Carolina veteran was able to thank his neighbor for the first time since he saved his life and got him out of his burning apartment last month.

Our news partner WLOS was there as Tony reunited with his neighbor, Douglas Tribble. Tony’s apartment caught fire last month -- the damage was so bad, the walls were charred black.

Tony said he would not have made it out alive if Tribble had not come for him.

“I would have stayed there not realizing the smoke that I was gathering,” Tony said.

Tony does not get around very well -- he has to use a walker. Tribble said that made the rescue even more of a race against time.

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“We had to take like almost baby steps to get up out of there,” Tribble said. “And, I was inhaling some of the smoke myself. But, once we got out the door, the maintenance man came up off the elevator, snatched him up and all three of us went through the fire door.”

They all made it out safe and no one was reported injured.

Tribble said he is not a hero and that he would have done it for anyone. Tony said he is just thankful and fortunate someone as caring as Tribble was nearby when the fire started.

“There’s good people. You’ve got so many people that’ll walk by you and not care about nothing. Everybody’s into their own world,” Tony said. “Thank God for him because I could have passed out in there. I’m a single man, wasn’t nobody else in the house.”

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