Women honored for helping man in burning car

The women received a proclamation from the township.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Two township woman have been labeled heroes by police and fire officials and township trustees, but the women say they acted as any responsible people would have.
Renee Brandt of Annawan Lane and Tracey Wolfe of Ridgewood Drive have been friends for several years.
The morning of Nov. 7, Brandt and Wolfe were traveling on South Avenue about 9:30 a.m. when they noticed smoke coming from a car parked in a lot and a man slumped over the front seat. Wolfe, who was driving, made a U-turn, and Brandt called 911 on a cell phone.
Trying to put out fire
Inside the car was 77-year-old William Lee of Youngstown. According to police reports, Lee had attempted to extinguish a match in a paper cup in the console. The cup caught fire, and the flames began to spread.
"I thought I saw smoke coming from the car, but I didn't know if there was an actual fire or smoke coming from under the hood," Brandt said. "I thought the guy inside might be dead. I was shaking and nervous. I am just not good under pressure."
Brandt and Wolfe both recall the man inside the car was disoriented, something they attributed to the smoke. Wolfe, whose husband is a township firefighter, said her first thoughts were to get the man away from the car and out of the smoke.
Dragged man from car
After telling Lee to get out of the car a couple of times, the women reached in and dragged him out just as police arrived. Police said the inside became engulfed in flames only seconds after the women dragged Lee from the car.
Lee was covered in soot, with minor burns and singed hair. He was upset about the lost vehicle but was not seriously injured. He refused medical attention and was taken home by police after fire crews and police officers finished extinguishing the flames and collecting information.
Wolfe and Brandt received a proclamation from township trustees in their honor. They, however, said their actions were just a natural instinct to help someone who might be in trouble -- something they hope others would do for them.
"It's not something where we feel that we did anything all that great. I would hope that if it were one of my family members, someone would have done the same thing," Wolfe said.
Lee has a different opinion about the women's efforts.
"I am really thankful to those two ladies, and you can relay that to them if you would," he said.
jgoodwin@vindy.com