BOISE, Idaho — An early morning fire destroyed a Boise home on Wednesday, leaving a mother and her three kids without a home.
The fire started around 1 a.m., according to the Boise Fire Department. It destroyed a trailer in a neighborhood off Fry Street, which is near Fairview Avenue.
The woman who lived in home is crediting a neighbor for jumping into action and saving her and the kids.
"I heard pops, like it sounded like gunshots,” Jay O’Leary said. "It all just happened so fast and things started catching on fire and pops started going off."
O’Leary told KTVB that he’s been housesitting at a mobile home across the way from the home that burned. He said he was up late in bed when he heard the popping sounds.
“When I just looked out my window, and I just saw it all glowing,” he said. "I knew there were kids inside because I always see them outside playing.”
That’s when he ran outside and started yelling and banging on the walls in order to wake up the woman and children.
O’Leary said he saw the flames coming from the porch at the front of the home.
"The flames were already taking over the entire walkway, the porch and everything was already completely on fire,” he said. “It was all happening so fast, I wasn't really thinking. I just knew there were kids.”
O’Leary then ran around to the back of the home where he found a door. One of the three kids was at the doorway and he quickly got her outside, he then ran inside the home and got the other two kids and mom out safely.
"There were two kids still in bed, so I just kind of swooped them up and brought them out back,” he said.
He also let the other neighbors know about the fire. They woke up and came outside the house to find out what was happening.
One of those neighbors, Tom Brinkley, walked up to thank O’Leary while KTVB was talking with him on Wednesday.
"He pretty much saved our life last night,” Brinkley said to KTVB. "He is awesome. Like I said if it wasn't for him my place probably would've caught on fire too."
Most people would've waited for firefighters, but instead of doing that O’Leary ran into a burning home and got everyone out safely.
“You don't think about it,” he said. “I just knew there were kids. You know there's danger on the other side, so it was kind of a natural thing I thought.”
The fire gutted the home, destroying nearly everything on the inside.
The Boise Fire Department said the fire was caused by smoking materials that were not properly disposed of.
The department advises to empty cigarette disposal containers regularly and use water in the container. This is a common cause of fires, according to the department.
The mom and her three kids are being assisted by the Boise Burnout Fund.