Neighbor pulls woman out of burning home to safety

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A neighbor is being credited with rescuing a woman out of a burning home in Catawba County early Monday night.

The fire heavily damaged the home along Courtney Drive in the Homestead community south of Hickory. Investigators believe it started in the living room or dining room.

More than a half dozen fire departments responded to the fire shortly after 7 p.m.

Bill Walters says he was working on his boat in his yard when he heard someone calling for help.

When Walters reached the home, he says he found the woman in the doorway and pulled her to safety.

“The front window exploded above my head as I was leaning over, pulling her out,” Walters said. “Kind of exploded over our heads, and it was an explosion. It wasn’t just fire. It was an explosion”

Firefighters say the woman was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Investigators are working to determine what started that fire.

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