Halifax firefighters describe risking their lives to save elderly man from wildfire
CBC
A Halifax Regional Fire captain who risked his own life to rescue an elderly man from an active wildfire zone says he was just doing his job — and doesn't consider himself a hero.
A wildfire in the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas, just northwest of Halifax, was sparked on May 28 and forced mass evacuations of several subdivisions.
Capt. Kevin Corkum and firefighter Conor Scott were working at a command post on Hammonds Plains Road when an emergency call came in that day.
A family couldn't get to their elderly father who has dementia and was home alone on Yankeetown Road — inside the evacuation zone.
Corkum said the fire had already ripped through the area, and crews had retreated due to the flames.
"When the 911 call came in [saying] that there was a person in the house, we knew that fire conditions were going to be bad on that road," Corkum told CBC Radio's Maritime Noon on Monday.
"But that's what we do. We're the fire service. Our main objective is life safety."
Corkum said he and Scott, wearing only basic personal protective gear with no oxygen equipment, jumped into their chief's pickup truck to attempt to save the man.
"There were moments when it felt like we were driving through a wall of fire," Scott told CBC News on Monday.
Corkum said as they travelled toward Yankeetown Road, day turned to night, and visibility was zero.
They couldn't see civic numbers, and ended up passing the home twice, before they found the driveway, he said.
"As we pulled up, everything around the house was on fire. There were trees on two sides, maybe 20 to 30 feet away, and everything was on fire," he said.
Corkum, who was driving, instructed Scott that he had 30 seconds to check the house for the man. Both doors were locked, so Scott ended up kicking in the front door.
"The elderly gentleman was in his chair unaware of what was going on, unaware of the danger," Corkum said.
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