NEW ORLEANS — Saving her paraplegic patient from a house fire before firefighters arrived, Gwendolyn Theus, a 64-year-old home nurse, died after being overwhelmed by smoke Monday in Delhi, La., officials said.
Trapped in a bedroom, Theus pulled her patient out of her bed and tried to push her out of a window to save her from the fire, but the nurse was overwhelmed by the smoke.
Neighbors also tried to help through the window before members of the Delhi Fire Department made it to the scene.
Theus' 71-year-old patient told firefighters that the nurse went into her room, told her about the fire, and tried several times to maneuver the patient's bed out of the room before pulling her out of the bed, a release from Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office said.
“Ms. Theus’ valiant efforts to put her patient’s life before her own are both admirable and heartbreaking,” State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning said. “Our prayers are with her loved ones and with the surviving victim for her recovery and loss of her dedicated nurse and friend.”
Firefighters eventually pulled both women from a bedroom and tried to save their lives. The patient, who owned the home, was airlifted to a burn unit in Mississippi and is expected to recover.
Firefighters responded to the fire just before 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Investigators continue to look into the cause of the fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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