A teen-ager proved herself a hero on New Year’s Eve.

Tuesday, January 02, 2001

A teen-ager proved herself a hero on New Year’s Eve.

Angela Marie Scheimo, 16, of Austin, was baby-sitting 5-year-old Kelsey White and 7-year-old Jordan White, both of Austin, when she smelled smoke and noticed a haze in the kitchen of the White family house at 809 Third Ave. NW. She proceeded to the basement and found a fire already ablaze on a bedroom dresser.

As she ran upstairs, Scheimo told the children to put on their boots and coats. The children’s mother, Kim White, called to check on them as Scheimo was ascending the stairs and was told by Scheimo that the house was on fire. After hanging up the phone, Scheimo dialed 911 but her call was cut short as the fire ate through the phone wires. Luckily, the Austin 911 system registered the address despite the hangup and officers were dispatched to the scene.

Scheimo escorted the two children across the street to the neighbor’s house and redialed 911 from there.

Lost in the fire were three family dogs and a parakeet, who died as a result of smoke inhalation. Damage to the property is estimated at $45,000.

Fire Chief Dan Wilson said that it appears that the fire started as a result of a candle left unattended on the basement bedroom’s dresser. This corresponds with a rise in fires caused by candle use nationwide.