Passerby saves mother and children who were sleeping in burning car, Kansas sheriff says

A western Kansas sheriff is hailing a Washington man as a hero and good Samaritan after saving a mother and children who were asleep inside a burning car.

The Sheridan County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post that emergency crews were called at around 11:50 p.m. Monday to a reported vehicle fire on U.S. 83 north of Selden. The 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived.

Investigators determined that passerby Yevgeniy Lomakin pulled over along the highway after he saw flames coming from the car’s undercarriage. Lomakin saw a woman and three young children sleeping inside the car.

He pounded on the windows to wake up the four people inside and helped a 3-year-old child and a 6-year-old child out of the car. The mom and a 10-year-old kid were able to get out on their own. Lomakin helped the family into his truck to get them out of the cold while he called 911.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire. No one was injured in the incident.

The sheriff’s office identified the mom as Shannon Harris, of Colby. Lomakin is a 29-year-old man from Vancouver, Washington. In addition to saving the lives of the family members, Lomakin gave them a cash gift for Christmas before getting back on the road.

“It is Good Samaritans like Lomakin that deserve to be recognized for his quick thinking, actions and heroism,” Sheriff Brandon Carver said in a statement.

This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Passerby saves mother and children who were sleeping in burning car, Kansas sheriff says."