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Upper Arlington couple help residents escape east Columbus apartment fire

Dr. Ján Klamar and Ruth Staveley were on their way to pick up their daughter from the airport for Christmas when they saw flames shooting from an apartment window.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Right before Christmas, dozens of people were displaced from their homes when a blaze broke out at Bexley Commons Apartments.

An Upper Arlington family was on their way to the airport to pick up their daughter for Christmas when they made a pit stop they never expected.

“We were at the stop light,” Ruth Staveley said. “I saw the flames coming out and was like, ‘oh my goodness, do we need to get over there?’”

Credit: Ruth Staveley



From the stop light, they stepped on the gas.

Dr. Ján Klamar and Staveley drove right to the side of the building, parked and got out.

“It became pretty clear that people just didn't know what was going on,” said Klamar.

With no sign of lights and sirens, Klamar ran into the building to alert residents.

"I got on 911 to make the call,” said Staveley.

Her next move: a text to her daughter.

“Your dad just ran into a burning building. And we're going to be a little late picking you up,” she wrote.

Klamar went through the hallways shouting.

“The unfortunate thing is no alarms were going off. So nobody in the building knew how bad this fire was,” he said.

But when he came back outside, he heard a cry to go back in and help.

“I came walking back to the van and there was a woman sticking her head out the window up there saying she had a man who couldn't walk and she needed help getting him out of the building. So I went back in up to the third floor. There was really dense, dense smoke,” he said.

He was able to carry the man to safety, but their efforts didn't end there.

“Ruth looked over at this woman with no shoes and she's like, 'should I give her my shoes?'”

And yes, she did.

“She was very grateful,” Klamar said.

“I didn't need them,” added Staveley.

Once fire crews arrived Staveley and Klamar were on their way to the airport with one less pair of shoes but their hearts were full of gratitude. They were in the right place at the right time.

A total of 63 residents were displaced and the fire remains under investigation.

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