Thankful For Good Samaritan Who Saved Mom’s Mechanicville Home From Fire

As I look back on this past year, I realize how thankful I really am. I wanted to bring this story back up, especially around the holidays to focus on how amazing people can be. Back in late January, my mom had a porch fire. She was inside but had no idea her house was on fire. A selfless man swooped in and saved my mom and her house.

Here's our interview with a true hero. We are so thankful for him.

We have been searching for the good samaritan that sprang into action to unselfishly help put out a fire that started on my mom's porch. The story is even more amazing when you hear Rob Rivers explain what made him do what he did to become a hero to my whole family.

I was beginning to think that we would never find the man that ran up the stairs at my mom's house and began to help put out flames on my mom's porch with containers of water. I truly believe if it wasn't for the selfless acts of Rob Rivers, my mom's house may have had a more serious fire.

With the power of social media, I got a phone call from Rob's sister who wanted me to know that it was him that we were looking for. Brian and I spoke with Rob about his heroic act and he explained what it was like for him on Saturday afternoon.

Rob, from Stillwater, is a cook at the Ugly Rooster restaurant in Mechanicville which happens to be just one hundred yards from my mom's house. Rob was leaving work late that day and he said he looked across the way and saw flames coming from my mom's porch and it looked like a grill fire. He immediately ran from the Rooster over the railroad tracks and without thinking, came right up the stairs into my mom's house. He said he knew someone needed help so he went up to see what he could do.

Rob said my sister was filling up water in any containers she could find. She started to hand them to Rob and he ran to the porch. After a few trips, Rob noticed some planters had caught fire, so thinking fast, he threw them over the railing and into the snow. He also saw a few small propane canisters and threw those into the snow as well. Rob humbly told us that he did what everyone should do "act like a person". He said that the true heroes are the first responders.

We had a surprise during the call. My mom was listening in and when Rob was done telling his side of the porch fire story, she said hello and was able to thank Rob directly for being the great man that he is to selflessly help her put the fire out and ultimately save her home. We need more Rob Rivers in the world but I'm really glad he was in our neighborhood that day.