Man hailed as a hero for rescuing 64-year-old from burning house

Lydell Wyatt, 20, was driving home late Thursday night when he noticed smoke and fire on the top of the double-wide modular home in Ridgeview Estates south of Carson City.

He awakened George A. Sznyczr then used his phone to call 911 before both got out of the burning home without injury.

The attic and a large portion of the roof were destroyed. Several rooms were heavily damaged by water and structural damage.

Wyatt works for the Washoe Tribe in Douglas County.

"Had he not taken the action he did, it's possible Mr. Sznyczr may not have awakened in time to escape the fire," state forester Roy Trenoweth said Friday.

"The victim's home was extensively involved by fire when Mr. Wyatt drove by," he said.

Firefighters from the Nevada Division of Forestry responded to the call along with units from Jacks Valley Volunteer Fire Department, East Fork Fire Protection District and the Carson City Fire Department.

There apparently was not enough smoke inside the house to trigger the smoke detector, said Capt. Rich Riolo of the Nevada Division of Forestry's Fire Prevention Bureau.

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