Paraplegic Rescued From Fire : Arson: Firefighters drag 60-year-old man away from flames after caller says: ‘You are going to fry.’

Only hours after an anonymous caller told him, “You are going to fry,” a 60-year-old Fountain Valley paraplegic awoke early Wednesday with his house ablaze in what authorities say they are investigating as a possible murder attempt.

George Smyrniotis was rescued from his bed by four firefighters and had to be dragged down the stairs of his two-story home to safety. Smyrniotis, who neighbors say was paralyzed in a car accident about 10 years ago, was overcome by smoke and lost consciousness during the rescue but suffered only minor scratches. His wife and maid, who were also asleep in the house, escaped injury.

Resting at Humana Hospital-Huntington Beach in stable condition, Smyrniotis said the fire may be connected to a civil lawsuit that is scheduled to begin trial today in Long Beach.

Fountain Valley Police Lt. Bob Mosley said the fire scene revealed evidence of arson, and that detectives are looking into Smyrniotis’ allegations. The civil suit alleges fraud in a real estate transaction involving some property in Santa Ana, Mosley said.

“We are looking into that,” Mosley said. “We are taking everything into consideration.”

Mosley said that investigators have determined that a flammable liquid had been poured near the garage of the 18173 Santa Adela Circle residence where the fire apparently started.

“It’s tragic and absolutely mindless that someone would do this to an individual who is paraplegic,” Mosley said. “We will do everything humanly possible to bring this individual to justice.”

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at 3:58 a.m., officials said. The blaze had quickly gutted the garage and spread to the second floor, trapping Smyrniotis in his bed. The windows of the house had been blown out by the intense heat and most of the roof had collapsed.

Smyrniotis said that he and his wife, Alice, awoke shortly before the fire broke out but went back to sleep.

“Next thing I know, my eyes are filled with smoke and my wife is dialing 911,” he said. “I thought I was going to die.”

His wife and maid ran out of the house just as Fountain Valley firefighter Tim Finucan burst through the front door.

“I was yelling for help when (Finucan) came to my bed,” Smyrniotis said. “I told him I was paralyzed and he said he would drag me.”

Finucan said he could not see through the smoke that engulfed the second floor.

“I heard him yelling and followed his voice,” Finucan said. “I was lucky to find him.”

Finucan said that Smyrniotis, who weighs about 225 pounds, was too heavy to carry and instead had to be dragged by his nightshirt.

“He was fading pretty fast and was unconscious by the time I got him to his (bedroom) door,” the firefighter said.

As he dragged Smyrniotis to the door, Finucan realized that his oxygen tank was almost empty so he radioed for help. As three firefighters climbed the stairs, Finucan leaped out a second-story window onto the driveway 12 feet below. The three others dragged Smyrniotis down the stairs and out the front door into an ambulance.

“I had to get out of there,” Finucan said. “I didn’t know if he had gotten out safely.”

Finucan was treated for cuts on his hands sustained when he leaped from the shattered window.

Finucan “did a heroic deed,” Smyrniotis said as he lay in intensive care, needles stuck in his arms and an oxygen mask over his face. “He put his life on the line to save me.”

Firefighters managed to contain the blaze by climbing the roofs of two adjacent houses and directing water onto the flames.

Some neighbors driving to work slowed to look at the blackened and burned-out structure.

“You could see the flames taking over the house,” said Cathy Johnson, who lives across the street. “It was quite a way to wake up this morning.”

Fire officials inspecting the remains found numerous clues that indicated arson was behind the morning blaze that caused damage estimated at about $400,000.

But after interviewing Smyrniotis at the hospital, police detectives opened an investigation into attempted murder, Mosley said. Smyrniotis told authorities that he had received phone threats in October similar to the one Tuesday. He said the caller repeated, “You are going to fry” before hanging up.