ROANOKE, Va. – Three Roanoke City firemen are being recognized for their quick thinking that saved a person trapped inside their burning home.
Firefighters Thomas Boettner, James Williamson and Lieutenant Kevin Bradbury are being recognized for their rescue efforts while battling a fire early Saturday morning.
Chief David Hoback was singing their praises.
“That’s what they train for every day. I’m very proud of them, day in and day out. They make a difference in everybody’s lives that they are impacted by,” he said.
Chief Hoback explained that fires during that time of night create a greater risk that someone could be trapped inside.
“When we have a fire at 3:30 in the morning we know that we have people inside the building and inside the house that could be asleep and the fire may not alert them, they may not wake up to what’s going on, so we often have rescues such as this,” he said.
While for these three men and other crew members, it was just another day on the job, the chief told 10 News it’s important to recognize their quick response.
“Every day we make decisions that are life or death. We make judgment calls and timing calls to make sure when we get there it’s very chaotic. They’ve got a strong focus on what they need to do,” said Chief Hoback.
Officials said the cause of the fire was electrical and accidental.