Natick woman saves neighbor from apartment fire

NATICK, Mass. (WHDH) -- A Natick woman was honored for being a hero in the haze of an apartment fire. Firefighters say her quick-thinking saved her neighbor’s life.

It was a heartfelt moment as a mother thanked the downstairs neighbor who rescued her teenage daughter from the family's smoke-filled apartment less than 24 hours before.

The damage didn't look like much, but the Natick teenager thought she was dying --that was until her neighbor showed up and pulled her to safety.

The 15-year-old was home alone when she tried to light a candle with a piece of paper, which then started the fire. Laura Majkut was watching TV just after 6 Wednesday night when she heard pounding from upstairs and then the smoke alarm going off.

"I went upstairs, I could hear her screaming. The door was a little stuck so I just pushed through it, grabbed her…and got her out. There really wasn’t a whole lot of thinking involved,” said Majkut.

The teen's mom came home to the fire scene but at first didn't see her daughter.

“It was probably the worst feeling ever until I heard that little voice come around the corner and say, ‘your daughter is back here,’” said Miriam Carriazo.

Firefighters say if Majkut waited for them, Gabriella Gonzalez probably wouldn't have survived.

“I’m glad she was able to get here first and do it because I don’t know otherwise,” said Carriazo.

The chief also credited the smoke alarms in the home for helping alert Majkut, but Majkut’s landlady thinks her tenant deserves all the credit.

“My sisters and I are so proud of Laura,” said Donna Pickersgill, landlady.

Still, Majkut’s not sure about being called a hero.

"It's an uncomfortable word for me. I certainly didn’t set out to be heroic when I went home from work last night but I appreciate that people see it that way. I really was something that happened so fast and I’m glad the way it came out,” said Majkut.