A basement window became an avenue of escape for a Freeport man Tuesday night.
Just before 11 p.m., heavy rain sent water flowing down a steep hill behind Stewart Street.
At one house, it was just too much.
Suddenly, a concrete patio and basement steps came crashing down.
Officials said Charles Taylor was in the basement checking on a pump and a drain when his foundation gave way.
Out of nowhere, he was trapped.
His wife, Dawn, whose family has lived in the house for generations, was upstairs.
Fortunately, fire crews already were assembled at the fire station on Market Street, just four blocks away.
“When we confirmed someone was trapped, we got to work,” fire Chief Steve Warheit said.
“It appears that the patio and 70% to 80% of the back wall collapsed,” he said.
Charles Taylor had just been standing on the steps. Had he remained there another few seconds, a lot of debris would have fallen on top of him, Warheit said.
“We’re super lucky. We were able to get him out in seven minutes — seven minutes — and he wasn’t hurt,” Warheit said.
Firefighters removed the glass from a basement window and pulled Taylor up and out.
Warheit said Taylor didn’t even need to be taken to a hospital for evaluation, much to the relief of firefighters.
At about 4 a.m. Wednesday, Red Cross officials arrived to take the Taylors to a hotel.
Repeated attempts to reach them Wednesday were unsuccessful.
