CALDWELL, Idaho — "There was a woman with her head and one arm out the window, screaming for help," said Caldwell resident Alan Arruba.
On Aug. 23, Arruba described the start of the day like any other until something felt off. Then he saw flames.
Watch to see how neighbors became local heroes:
"I ran out to the middle of the street and yelled 'help!' a dozen times, as loud as I possibly could, over and over," said Arruba.
Neighbors began stepping in, trying to help Angie Dickey out of the burning RV.
"Within a matter of minutes, I think I was able to get through the [window] frame," said Adriano Meneze, an Idaho visitor who was in Caldwell with his family.
He recalled thinking, "If we can't get her out of this thing, then we need to get the fire out."
"I thought for a second that she might be dead," added Arruba.
Dickey and her husband, Bill, had been living at the RV park for the past five years when a portable air conditioner malfunctioned, sparking the fire.
Arruba remembered telling Dickey, "You're gonna have to help me, or you're not going to make it," as he gestured toward the broken RV window.
Arruba and two other neighbors worked together to pull Angie out and waited for fire crews and paramedics to arrive.
What felt like hours was only a matter of minutes — a wake-up call for everyone when it comes to RV safety.
"I still run it through my head," said Arruba.
"And like I told Bill, he said, 'Thank God you were there.' I said, 'No … thank God. He used me,'" said Arruba.
I spoke with Angie’s husband, Bill, over the phone.
"I think about what would've happened if I'd decided to sleep in that morning, said Bill Dickey. "I'm just grateful to the people who saved her life."
Mr. Dickey says that Angela’s health is improving each day. The family is still at the hospital in Salt Lake City, but once they return home to Caldwell, their next step is starting over. For now, they’re simply grateful for the support they’ve received.
A GoFundMe has been created to help support the Dickey family.