A day after rescuing a woman from a burning home, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Dep. Joe DeVore doesn't believe he's a hero.
"I got into this to help the community, to save lives. I just consider it to be a part of my job," DeVore said.
DeVore was doing a routine check of a business at around 3:30 a.m. Sunday when he got the call of a house fire at 12106 North Boulevard.
When he arrived, he found the home engulfed in flames, covered in smoke and falling power lines.
"My first thought was if there's something I can do I have to do it," DeVore said. "I can't stand there and do nothing and watch these people die in their own house."
DeVore assisted a man and woman who struggled to get out of the house. He grabbed the woman under her arms and got her to safety on the driveway. They were later identified as Rhonda O'Neal, 56, and Malcolm O'Neal, 26.
But 81-year-old Robie Hurst was still inside.
DeVore, 33, ran to the doorway of the front door, but thick smoke made it difficult to see.
He took a step inside. He was about two feet from her, but didn't see her. Then he spotted Hurst, grabbed her by the arm and escorted her out of the house.
Hurst was in fair condition at Pepin Heart at University Community Hospital. Rhonda O'Neal, 56, was listed in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital. Malcolm O'Neal was treated at the scene.
The cause of the fire was electrical, said Dep. Larry McKinnon, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokesman. Damage to the home is estimated at $150,000.
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