LANCASTER − Jim Saulbeamer probably didn’t expect to become a hero when he went to work on Jan. 29.
But that’s exactly what the Fairfield Center for Independence bus driver became when he helped put out a vehicle fire in the Cherry Street Pub parking lot around 12:15 that day at 202 N. Cherry St.
“His quick action limited damage to the vehicle and prevented the fire from spreading to the nearby business which was occupied with staff and a resident upstairs,” Assistant City Fire Chief Slade Schultz said.
Police are calling the incident arson, saying a man lit a piece of cardboard and threw it under the unoccupied 2018 Honda Civic owned by Smoked Food Factory LLC. Police arrested a 46-year-old man they said was homeless for the crime.
“I saw a guy getting a box out of a dumpster,” Saulbeamer, who has had his job for almost seven years, said. “He put the box in front of the back passenger-side tire. And then I watched him light it. I was going real slow and I saw him light it. So he walked over and sat on the side of the bank and that thing (fire) just started taking off. I hit the gas and sped up a little bit and pulled over and called 911.”