By Abby Sarao

Yesterday afternoon, around 4 o'clock, a church was caught on fire at Windrixville, on top of Jay Mountain. The church was said to be abandoned for several years.

A school was having a picnic at this particular location. "We were having a school picnic up here and the first thing we knew, the place was burning up!" commented school teacher, Jerry Wood. Witnesses said that three young men with the names of Ponyboy Curtis, 14, Johnny Cade, 16, and Dallas Winston, 17, drove up to where the church was. Two of them came up and asked what was going on. "We heard faint children screams coming from inside the burning church," Ponyboy said. "So Johnny and I went in to save `em."

One of the teachers, Mrs. O'Briant, told the children not to play inside the church. "The children gave me quite a scare." said Mrs. O'Briant. Jerry has said that when the boys went inside the church, he could hear several gunshots. "I don't care if those boys are hoods," Jerry stated.

"Mrs. O'Briant and I think those boys were sent from heaven."

Ponyboy and Johnny broke a window from inside the church and carried the trapped children out. Dallas Winston, the third young man, came later on to help out. Officers suspect that the church might have caught on fire from a used cigarette someone probably left behind.

The children who were saved from the burning church were not badly harmed. Two of the three young men came out with minor injuries. Johnny Cade, one of the heroes, received a broken back and was severely burned. One of the victims` parents commented: "I'm so grateful that those boys came to save my daughter and all those other children. They have such kind hearts."

Top right picture; Dallas Winston (top middle), Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade (bottom middle)