Chesapeake, Va. - NewsChannel 3 and our community partner Southern Bank are shining our spotlight on a 71-year-old Chesapeake woman who risked her life to save a neighbor from her burning mobile home.
Dee Peshel at first thought, one of her neighbors was grilling there was so much smoke.
“So I walked down the street and I heard her scream, ‘help somebody help,’” says Peshel.
It was her neighbor, Kathy Hall her mobile home on fire.
“When you see what's left, scared to death after I see. I cannot even fathom that I went in there. I'm terrified of fires. God had to lead me thought that door because I’m terrified of fires.
To complicate things, Kathy didn't want to get out right away.
Dee literally had to put Kathy in a headlock to force her out of the mobile home. Just seconds after she had her out, it was totally engulfed.
“I grabbed her around the neck and pushed her to the door. I don't know what made me do it. I'm 71, I got no business acting crazy,” says Dee.
“I drug her off the steps and down out in the street, [I] don't know where I got it from ‘cause I don't know how I did it. She's a bigger woman than I am, but she's a good woman and she needed to be alive for her kids,” says Dee.
So with a few neighbors gathered around, we presented her with an award for her bravery.
