Washington High School teacher Clint Schneider is being credited with helping an elderly neighbor safely escape her home during a fire Friday night, September 11.

Schneider had just returned home with his family from the Washington-Borgia football game when he noticed flames coming from a neighboring house on Johnson Street shortly after 10 p.m.

“It was weird because we drove by her house as we arrived home and everything seemed fine,” Schneider said. “When we got home, I took out my contacts and took off my shoes to get ready for bed. I went upstairs and as I passed by my daughter’s room, I looked through her window and saw flames coming from our neighbor’s house. Luckily, the shades on my daughter’s window were up and I could see outside. I yelled, ‘Fire.’ My wife thought I was joking, but it was no joke.”

Schneider’s wife, Keli, a first-grade teacher at Clearview Elementary, called 911 while he immediately went to the home to make sure his neighbor was able to get out safely.

“She’s an elderly person who lives alone and doesn’t get around very well. I knew she was going to need help,” Schneider said. “I still didn’t have my shoes on, which ended up being a problem because her door was locked and I couldn’t kick it open. My son, Wes (11 years old), came outside with me and I told him to grab a rock from our flower bed. He handed me a rock and I threw it through the window in her door. The glass shattered and I reached in to unlock the door.”

Once inside, Schneider could see the glow from the fire, but the flames had not yet reached the front of the house.

“I just had to walk through smoke,” Schneider said. “There was shattered glass from the broken window and I was walking barefoot. A couple of pieces of broken glass got stuck in my foot, but it wasn’t too bad. It was smoky. I yelled out her name four or five times and finally saw her waving her hand at me as she was walking down the hallway through the smoke. I took her hand and walked her out of the house.”

Schneider said he was fortunate to have noticed the fire when he did.

“The fire department and police got there quickly and put the fire out,” Schneider said. “By that time, Keli and some other neighbors were there and ready to help. It was just people looking out for each other.”

Washington firefighters responded to the scene with mutual aid from the Boles and Union Fire Protection Districts. Washington Fire Department Assistant Chief Mark Skornia told the Missourian the fire was brought under control but caused heavy damage to the structure. No injuries were reported.

“It looks like we have here a genuine, bona-fide hero,” Skornia told the Missourian about Schneider.

Schneider is a Washington High School graduate and has taught at WHS for the past 16 years. He serves as chair of the social studies department and teaches sociology, psychology and AP Psychology.

School District of Washington Superintendent Dr. Cassandra Suggs said Schneider’s actions are an example of courage and concern for others that can serve as an inspiration to students throughout the district.

Both occupants of the damaged building have been displaced as a result of the fire, according to the Missourian.

Schneider is looking for ways to set up and online portal to collect donations for his neighbor.

 

Clint Schneider