GREENVILLE — As if it were a movie, a real-life superhero came to the rescue Halloween night as he ran into a burning home and pulled a man to safety.
At approximately 10:01 p.m., emergency personnel from the Greenville City Fire Department responded along with Greenville Township Fire and Rescue, officers from the Greenville Police Department, and multiple mutual aid departments from across the county to 228 Anderson Avenue in reference to a fully involved house fire.
According to the Greenville Fire Department, firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the second story of the residence. Firefighters from across the county worked to bring the second-alarm blaze under control and due to the reports of there being possible entrapments within the home, immediately began searching the structure for any possible occupants. Multiple searches of both the first and second stories proved the home to be empty.
One person, however, was rescued from the home prior to the arrival of fire crews. A passerby, dressed in a superhero costume, ran into the burning structure and pulled the unconscious man to safety.
“I was driving by with my fiancé and children when I noticed the flames shooting out from the upstairs of the house”, stated Chris Taylor, the man who helped remove the resident from the burning building. “We pulled over and I ran up to a group of people who were standing outside the backdoor. I asked if there was anybody inside and nobody knew for sure. I opened the door and began to yell when I heard moaning coming from what sounded like the upstairs”, he continued. “I ran inside, catching my cape on the railing ripping it off, and found a man laying on the stairs about halfway up with the fire a foot away from him. I grabbed him and drug him to the door where the people standing outside helped me get him out. He kept saying there were other people inside but I couldn’t see or hear anyone.”
Chief Russ Thompson, of the Greenville City Fire Department, commended Taylor on his heroic act.
“What he did tonight is absolutely amazing, he was in the right place at the right time and acted like a hero,” commented Chief Thompson. “He saved a life tonight and he clearly came dressed for the occasion.”
The unidentified male who was pulled from the home was treated on the scene by Greenville Township Rescue prior to refusing any further treatment and transport to a medical facility. Although he left immediately afterwards, he could be heard asking who the man was that saved his life.
“I owe him my life,” he commented as he climbed into his vehicle and pulled away.
The cause and nature of the fire remain unknown at this time. It was reported by the Greenville Fire Department that no power or other utilities were believed to functioning inside the home at the time the fire broke out.
The incident will remain under investigation by the Greenville City Fire Department.
