Martin woman thanks first responders she says saved her life during fire

MARTIN, Tenn. — A woman from Martin faced a near-death experience less than a month ago. But with the help of local first responders, she’s alive today.

From the front of 56-year-old Shelia McGuire’s home, you can’t tell there was a fire, but when you look in the back you can see the damage.

“I was lying in my bed, and the smoke was this close to my face,” Shelia said.

Shelia said the fire started in her bedroom and the last moment she can remember is calling 911 for help.

She suffers from chronic heart disease. Although she’s survived three strokes and three heart attacks, she didn’t think she would survive the flames that engulfed her home.

But she says what’s remarkable is the effort to save her. She says those first responders are the reason she’s alive today. “It’s not about me. This story’s about them,” she said.

“[We] saw a little bit of smoke coming up by the back door,” Patrolman Kerry Workman with the Martin Police Department said. “I just pulled the back door open, and Lt. [Mike] Wenz and Assistant Chief [Todd] Prince went in and pulled her out.”

Saying thank you is not enough for Shelia. She presented Assistant Fire Chief Prince, Lt. Wenz and Patrolman Workman with a special gift.

“It was not just you doing your job,” Shelia said. “You laid down your life not knowing what was inside my door.”

“It’s very nice to hear ‘thank you.’It is very nice. It means a lot to me,” Prince said. “This means a lot. This is something she didn’t have to do.”

Shelia said the days since the fire haven’t been easy. She has been struggling with nightmares but believes therapy is helping. “I’ve got to go forward and not live in the past.”

Ultimately, Shelia said she is beyond thankful for the quick response of first responders and grateful to see another day.

“They wasn’t just doing their job,” Shelia said. “They was saving a life that morning — they saved my life.”

Shelia said her home is still under construction. She hopes to move back in by Thanksgiving.

Shelia also thanked the 911 operators who answered her call that morning, Kim Healy in Weakley County and Michelle Fischer in Martin.