Teen son helps disabled father escape fire

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - A Noblesville father and son managed to escape their burning home early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were called to 437 James Street shortly before 2:30 a.m.

The wheelchair-bound resident, Chad Shaw, told firefighters he awoke to the sound of the burning window blinds in his bedroom falling to the floor.

Shaw was able to yell "fire, fire"  to his teenage son who was sleeping in an adjacent room. 

His son came to his dad’s bedroom door, but it was blocked by flames and he had to run around to another access to the room to get to his father. 

The teen was able to help his dad evacuate to the garage and into their vehicle, where they used the vehicle’s OnStar system to alert the fire department.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke and flames on the north side of the house.

The blaze was confined to the bedroom, but other rooms in the house sustained smoke damage. Firefighters found the fire started along a wall where numerous electronics, including a space heater, were plugged in.

Firefighters brought the fire under control within 20 minutes. Damage was estimated at about $60,000 dollars.

No one was injured. Family and neighbors are helping the father and son to find a place to stay.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.