Nov. 20--It was a routine workday for newspaper deliveryman Ronald Hudson as he made his way through the Meadow Woods community early Tuesday -- until he saw flames and smoke coming from a house on his route.
Hudson ran up to the house on Quincy Woods Lane to find the front door open, but couldn't see anything because of the thick smoke.
"I heard a guy in there saying, 'Help me! Help me! Help me!,'" said Hudson, who delivers newspapers for the Orlando Sentinel.
Hudson said he started reaching in the house, but he couldn't see the man who was yelling for help.
"He just told me, 'Help me! Get me out of here. I can't walk,'" Hudson said.
"He grabbed me. He grabbed my arms," Hudson said. "Then I grabbed him and pulled him out."
When firefighters arrived about 4 a.m., the home was engulfed in flames.
The man whom Hudson helped pull out of the house suffered a gunshot wound and was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Authorities have not identified the man or released details about the shooting. The man is undergoing surgery and is in critical condition.
Orange County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Paul Hopkins said early Tuesday it was unclear if the man lived at the home or why he was there. Deputies have not identified any suspects in the shooting or the blaze, Hopkins said.
Firefighters searched the home and found no other victims inside, however a dog died in the fire, according to Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall.
Hudson said the man asked him to help rescue his dog, but the newspaper deliveryman said the smoke was too thick and he couldn't rescue the pet.
Investigators are also trying to figure out if a nearby vehicle fire that occurred about the same time is related.
Mulhall said a Chevrolet Impala was on fire on Sandy Oaks Lane at about 4:20 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and turned the case over to the Sheriff's Office.
Check back for more information.
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