AKRON, Ohio -- The old house at 947 Barbara Avenue turned into a fireball just after 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
Neighbor Angel Foxx said, "I saw flames coming out those two windows and it was literally coming out through the roof."
Within minutes the flames had trapped the three residents upstairs. Across the street, neighbor Tika Phelps said, "I was laying down in bed and I heard somebody screaming."
That screaming was coming from Carol Wallace and Roberta Melvin who were yelling for help upstairs. Akron firefighters scrambled to get them out when suddenly a back draft, a wall of flames, erupted.
Eyewitness Vinni VanSickle told Channel 3's Mike O'Mara that there was a horrible sound, "Woosh, and then flames came out and they were all over Roberta. There was a fire guy behind her. He comes out and he's in flames."
Seven Akron firefighters were injured trying to rescue the victims and put out the blaze. All seven were later treated and released from the hospital. Roberta was rushed to the burn unit at Akron Children's Hospital and remains in critical condition. Carol Wallace suffered burns to her neck and shoulders.
A space heater on the first floor is believed to be the cause of the fire. The families have now lost everything.
Carol's husband, John Wallace rushed to the scene after he got the call at work. Looking at the burned out shell that used to be a home, he shook his head and said, "I have no insurance, nobody's here to help me and I just finally landed this job. I'm barely making ends meet and now this. We have nothing now."
The only family pet to survive the blaze was the Wallace family dog, "Chance". Employees at the Napa Auto Parts store next door pulled the dog to safety and are feeding him for the time being.
