Neighbors helped rescue a disabled veteran and his wife as their Laytonsville, Maryland home burned to a crisp Thursday night.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to Edward and Jessica Klein's home on Warfield Road around 10 p.m. for a large house fire.
Jessica said within minutes of the fire starting, she smelled smoke and couldn't see two feet in front of her. She tried to carry her husband, a double amputee, out of the house, but by the time she got to the front door, she was exhausted.
Neighbors saw the flames, called 911 then ran over to help pull Jessica, Edward and their dogs to safety.
"The heat that was coming off the [house] and the damage of this thing... it was like a furnace," neighbor Robert Rubin said.
Capt. Edward Klein, or "Flip" as his friends call him, was injured by an IED during his 9-month tour in Afghanistan in October 2012. He lost both legs above the knee, part of his right arm above the elbow and several fingers on his other hand.
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The Kleins had moved into their handicap-accessible home on Warfield Road in March 2014 after Edward spent 18 months in rehabilitation at Walter Reed Medical Center.
"[Our landlord] allowed us to put in some different ramps, build a fence so we could have the dogs. This house was perfect for us. We were really lucky to find it. I don't know that we're going to find something like this ever again," Jessica said. "We've been through worse. [This] is just one more setback."
She was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and Edward for observation. Both have been released, and believe the fire started in the garage.
If you would like to help the Kleins, Jessica suggested you visit their Facebook page, "Friends of Flip" for further updates.
