A Fairfax County man was able to save his disabled mother from her burning home Monday night.
Neighbors reported seeing flames shooting through the roof of the Hackenson family home in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County just before 10 p.m.
Katherine Hackenson and her youngest son Billy were inside when the fire began. When Katherine realized she couldn't wake up Billy, she called her other son, Harry, who lived down the block, to save them.
"We saw the son run from his house over there, run up to his mom and basically pull her all the way across the lawn until another person came and helped him take her out completely," neighbor Zarghoona Noor said.
Sadly, it was too late to save Billy, who had been his mother's caretaker. Firefighters found his body on the first floor of the home.
"The son that actually passed away, he was very nice ... said hi to every neighbor, smiled and waved every morning," Noor said. "He always took care of his mom. We literally saw him carry her in his arms because she was disabled. My mom was in tears. She couldn't stop crying because of the amount of work and dedication [Billy] had to his mom and now he's gone."
Katherine and Harry Hackenson were hospitalized with minor burn injuries.
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More than 75 firefighters were called to the scene to help extinguish the flames and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The family is accepting donations through a GoFundMe account, which has already raised more than $3,700.
