Neighbor Saves Woman From Burning House

An 81-year-old Simi Valley woman was rescued from her burning house by a neighbor during a fire Saturday that nearly destroyed the small home, authorities said.

The injured woman, Mary Snider, was the only person home when the blaze broke out at 11:40 a.m., authorities said. She suffered smoke inhalation and was admitted to Simi Valley Hospital for observation, authorities said. She was in fair condition late Saturday.

Ventura County Fire Department officials believe the fire was ignited by a cigarette left smoldering on a couch.

A neighbor observed smoke pouring from the small house in the 900 block of Vallejo Avenue and alerted firefighters, authorities said. The male neighbor who rescued Snider, whose identity was not available late Saturday, coaxed the woman out of the smoke-filled house, officials said.

“It was roaring,” Snider said in a brief interview late Saturday. “This man next door came over and got me. I was crying because I wanted to go back in.”

Authorities credited the unnamed neighbor with saving Snider’s life.

“If he had not done this, it definitely would have been a fatality,” a Fire Department spokeswoman said.

The blaze caused about $30,000 worth of damage, mostly to the contents of the house, firefighters said. The woman’s roommate was not home at the time of the fire, authorities said.