Baseball lovers or not, the family at 1114 Bryan St. may become San Diego Padres fans after a fortunate meeting with that team's newest acquisition, former Illinois State outfielder Nate Whitney of Normal.
The residents at the Bryan Street address were the victims of a severe house fire soon after 9 p.m. Saturday -- the blaze destroyed much of their home. But the family was able to get out of the house safely, thanks in part to Whitney, who spotted the fire and alerted the sleeping family.
"I was just driving by and looked towards their garage and it looked like there was a small campfire in it," Whitney said. "It didn't really register right away, but then I went back and it had gotten a lot bigger in those few seconds. There was a ton of smoke by then."
Whitney went to the door to see if anyone was in the house. He knocked a few times and got no answer. Worried that people might still be inside, Whitney opened the unlocked door and went into the house. All of the family members inside were asleep. He quickly woke them up, and everyone made it out of the house safely.
"I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, I guess. I don't think I did anything unusual; anyone would have done it," Whitney said from his hotel in Arizona, where he'll play baseball for the minor-league Peoria (Ariz.) Padres.
The fire at Bryan St. is still under investigation by the Normal Fire Department, and a cause has not yet been announced. Firefighters had no comment Sunday night on when the house might be inhabitable again.
