MENTOR, Ohio (WJW) — A Northeast Ohio Uber driver is being hailed a hero for helping save the life of an elderly woman after her house caught fire. It happened on Wednesday night when a suspected electrical fire ignited in the attached garage of the 82-year-old woman’s home in Mentor. Inside, Joan Winston was getting ready for bed with no idea that her house was aflame.
Matthew Certain, 26, of Willowick, is an Uber driver and was dropping off a rider in the neighborhood when he noticed a strange glow coming from the house next door and decided to investigate.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, their house is on fire,’ so I quickly pulled my car up, started banging on the door, just trying to make sure that if anybody was home, so that I can get them out of the household. If there are any pets, we can get them out too,” Certain said.
Winston was surprised when Certain began knocking on her door.
“I’m thinking ‘Who could be coming and banging on the door so hard this late at night?’ and opened the door. It was Matt and he just pointed, ‘Fire, your house is on fire and I’m calling 911.'”
On the 911 call, Matthew can be heard telling Winston, “They’re sending people over, come on, we’ve got to get you away from the flames.”
Certain then escorted Joan to a neighbor’s home to get her out of the cold.
“It was just a moment of relief, knowing that she was safe. We got her out of there safely. It felt like a weight came off my chest,” he said.
Mentor firefighters say if Certain had not taken the actions he did that night, there is a very real possibility that Winston would have been trapped by the flames.
Mentor Fire Chief Ron Zak says seconds count when a fire can double in size every minute and that’s why the involvement of good Samaritans like Certain is so crucial.
“Time is critical and the quicker we can get people notified to get out, the better chance of survival they have,” said Zak.
Even though a large part of her home was gutted by the blaze, Winston is grateful that Certain was there in her time of need.
“The angels were watching over me and protecting me by bringing him there,” she said.
When asked how he felt about being called a hero, Certain responded, “I was just doing what any person should do, make sure that people are safe in bad scenarios.”