An off-duty firefighter is responsible for saving a 72-year-old man’s life after a fire broke out at his Smithsburg, Maryland, home.
WJZ reported that the fire started around 9:10 a.m. in the basement of a home on the 22000 block of Beaverbrook Drive.
The 72-year-old man and his wife found the fire in the basement after hearing their smoke alarm go off. The man entered the basement to try and put out the flames.
A neighbor also tried to help, but the man continued to try and put out the flames unsuccessfully.
The 72-year-old lost consciousness at some point, but an off-duty firefighter spotted him in time to pull him from the flames to safety. The off-duty firefighter received a 911 pager alert in the area and responded to the call without his gear.
Medics at the scene treated him before he was taken by medevac to The Burn Center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
The man remains in the hospital in critical condition.
Smithsburg Volunteer Fire Co. Deputy Chief David Yankey told the Herald-Mail Media that the home was a total loss.
Investigators say the fire started in the home’s basement. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
This is not the first time some off-duty firefighters have rescued people while they are off the clock. In November 2019, a firefighter from Bloomington, Indiana, rescued his neighbors from a fire and stayed to fight the blaze.
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