Lodi man recounts harrowing rescue

Apr. 16—Lodi resident Randy Fall said a house fire in his neighborhood last week was both intense and surreal.

Fall and his daughter were in his Dartmoor Circle driveway at about 3:30 p.m. on April 9 working on her car when they both heard someone screaming in pain.

"It was a real guttural scream, and it was constant," he said. "So I turn and look up, and I see the fire, and I start walking toward it. It was four houses down from me, and I see the building, I see smoke billowing out of the second story, and I see my buddy James in the window. And he's on fire."

Fall said he called 911 while carrying a ladder to the house, all the while urging his neighbor to extinguish the flames engulfing him.

Unfortunately, Fall said his ladder could not extend up to the second-story window, and his neighbor began climbing out.

Another neighbor soon rushed to the scene with his own ladder, which was able to extend just below the sill.

Fall and the second neighbor were able climb up and retrieve James, and halfway down, he fell.

"No sooner do we get him on the ground, I took my shirt off and began to snuff out the flames," Fall said. "It looked like more than 90% of his body was burned. His clothes were still on fire."

Lodi Police Department officers arrived in a matter of minutes and took control of the scene, Fall said. Lodi Fire Department crews were not far behind, and were able to extinguish the blaze shortly thereafter.

Police said the victim was the only person in the house at the time, and it appeared he was trapped on the second story.

The victim was taken to San Joaquin General Hospital for treatment of moderate to severe burns. Fall said he had been transferred to UC Davis Medical Center since Tuesday with third-degree burns on 70% of his body.

He has already had one operation, and about eight more are scheduled, Fall said.

Police said the entire second floor of the residence was damaged as fire crews had to cut the roof off to vent the structure.

Fall said he has lived in his home since 1984, and the victim's family had been living on Dartmoor Circle prior to that.

"When I saw him in the window, I thought there was nothing we could do," he said. "Flames were just licking him up the sides. It was surreal. And I had never seen someone on fire before."

Fall's daughter went inside as he rushed to the neighbor's home, but he said she is still haunted by the victim's screams.

He said he is doing better since last Tuesday, and he and his daughter are talking about their experience to comfort each other.

"The ladder in my hands at the time wasn't quite long enough," he said. "I just know that if I had turned around to go get a longer ladder, he might have jumped."

The fire's cause has still not been determined, and an investigation is ongoing.