Steve Moulin walks his dog around the neighborhood everyday. But, after arriving home on Monday, life as he knew it completely changed. Steve says, "I saw the roof blow off and a big puff of smoke come out."
His neighbor's home exploded right in front of his eyes. Wearing slippers and sweatpants, instincts pushed him and a gas service man to a dead sprint down the street. They couldn't believe what they saw next. Steve says, "It was like a Hollywood movie. There was all this flame and someone trying to come up out of the ashes and flames."
A fierce inferno roared in front of them and without hesitation, both men bolted towards the woman. Steve says, "We jumped the fence and got going over there. I fell down on something and the gas service gentlemen grabbed the lady and put her over his shoulder. We brought her over here to the fence."
While the service man rushed to get control over the gas, Steve tried to comfort the woman, Lucy Tolliver, who remained alert and talking. Steve says, "She told me that she had an appliance repairman out to check her stove and he advised her that he had smelled a strong odor of gas and that she should call the gas company."
Lucy told Steve the odor grew so strong, she stepped outside to get some fresh air. A decision Steve believes saved her life. He says, "The side of her hair was all burned off, her hands and her feet. What struck me, and I still can't forget it is, it looked like she had on a pair of latex gloves but it was actually skin."
Steve wrapped Lucy in a blanket and stayed with her until paramedics arrived. In his mind, the heroic rescue was nothing more than human nature. Steve says, "I think most people would help out. I believe that. I believe in this neighborhood. We have some really great people and I believe whatever it takes to help someone, they're going to do that."
Lucy told Steve she called the gas company about 40 minutes before the explosion. As of Thursday night, she remains at a Kansas City Hospital. Medical staff there say she has been downgraded to critical condition.
