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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIn March 2006, Jim Sherman, blind since birth, helped his legally blind neighbor Annie Smith escape a burning home in the Conroe, Texas, area. A shared baby monitor let him hear her call for help while her daughter was working a night shift. The contemporaneous account does not establish that Smith had Alzheimer’s, and dates the fire to March 27, 2006—not 2005.
How the baby monitor connected the neighbors
Smith’s daughter, Deborah, had arranged for her mother and Sherman to share a baby monitor about six months before the fire. Deborah worked nights as a nurse and worried that her mother might fall while she was away. The monitor had already helped Sherman respond to an earlier fall he heard.
On March 27, 2006, Sherman heard repeated popping noises over the monitor. Then Smith called, “Jim, Jim, the house is on fire!” Sherman later recalled: “I got to the door and heard crackling, smelled smoke and felt intense heat.”
How Sherman helped Smith get out
Sherman made his way to Smith’s house using his walking stick and the familiar fence and path between their homes. He entered a few steps, took Smith’s hands, and led her outside. He called 911 and took her to another neighbor’s home.
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This is an account of what Sherman did in that incident, not a fire-safety procedure: entering a burning building can be deadly. Call emergency services and follow their instructions rather than putting yourself at risk.
What the report says about the fire and its aftermath
According to Houston Chronicle reporter Renée C. Lee’s March 29, 2006 report, fire crews were dispatched at 10:18 p.m. and arrived 12 minutes later to find the house engulfed. Kevin Bates, an investigator with the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office, attributed the fire to an electrical overload in a bedroom. He said, “She probably wouldn’t have made it out of the house without his help.”
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The report says Smith’s dog, three kittens, and one of her three cats were uninjured. The kittens’ mother died, and one cat was found alive beneath debris. Smith’s daughters, Deborah and Delores Perry, expressed gratitude for Sherman’s help. Sherman said, “I’m just glad I saved someone’s life.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—established about the story
The contemporaneous Chronicle report identifies the neighbor as Annie Smith, 84, and describes her as legally blind. It places the fire on March 27, 2006. It does not report an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. A later retelling differs on details, including Smith’s age and the fire’s cause, so the contemporaneous account is the stronger basis for describing the incident. The reported cause should therefore be stated as an electrical overload in a bedroom, as attributed to the fire investigator, rather than as a confirmed faulty connection.
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