JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The moments before bystanders rushed inside a burning home in Jacksonville’s Brentwood neighborhood were captured on a TikTok video that, as of Tuesday, had been viewed more than a million times.
Nathan Wright and April Spell ran toward the smoke they saw from down the block. Wright, a landscaper, said he was trying to film a before-and-after video of some of his work on TikTok.
After calling out to see if anyone was inside, they heard someone yell for help. Wright dropped the phone and went inside. Spell followed him.
“It wasn’t a thought, it was just go,” Wright recalled.
Inside, a woman was attempting to pull her husband, who is paralyzed, to safety.
Spell was able to get the woman out as Wright helped the man.
Wright and Spell said as soon as they heard the woman call for help, they had to do something.
“We could hear her say, ‘Yes, we’re in here,’” recalled Spell. “And at the point I’m not going to let her -- I can hear her voice, so if I can hear her voice, she has to be close enough to where we can get in and get her and get him out.”
Another man was trapped further in the house.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get down the hallway to get him out,” Wright said.
A spokesperson for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said one person who was inside was hospitalized in serious condition.
Wright said the couple are being treated for respiratory issues.