Fire officials say the woman’s life was likely in danger. The Pattonville firefighter is now expected to receive a Medal of Honor.
MEHLVILLE, Mo. – An off-duty firefighter is being hailed for saving a neighbor’s life after he rushed into a burning house in Oakville on Sunday morning.
The fire started around 11:30 a. m. and is thought to have begun in the garage, according to fire officials. The cause is still under investigation, but they don’t believe it was suspicious.
Footage from a neighbor shows flames rapidly engulfing the home, sending thick smoke billowing into the air as the fire grew.
Greg De Greeff, a firefighter with the Pattonville Fire Protection District, was at home when his 3-year-old son alerted him to the emergency.
“He just came out and said there’s smoke around the house… he was our watchdog. He found it,” De Greeff said.
By the time De Greeff made it outside, he noticed that things had already become serious.
“By the time I had made it out here, the garage was already fully involved,” he said.
De Greeff quickly realized someone might still be inside.
“I knew his wife had some mobility issues and didn’t get around so well, and I didn’t see her outside. So that was really the only thought, was, is she in the house?” he said. “And I knew one way or another we were going to have to try to get her out.”
The front of the house was blocked by flames, so De Greeff dashed through a fence to reach the back door and entered without any protective gear.
“I probably should have just jumped the fence, but instead I just ran through it,” said De Greeff.
He found the woman inside as smoke and heat rapidly filled up space around them.
“By that point, the smoke was probably just above my head. It was starting to get kind of warm in the house,” he said.
De Greeff helped guide her out safely before firefighters even arrived on scene.
“I didn’t carry her out… I walked her out,” he said. “I’m not trying to make myself sound any more… it’s just what we do.”
Chief Jim Usry with the Pattonville Fire Protection District stated that De Greeff’s quick actions were crucial.
< p> Without the quick actions of our firefighter, we feel that her life could have been in real jeopardy,</pre> </blockquote>< aside>< h4 style=" color:#00F;">Source linkClick here for full story
- The homeowner, who happened to be outside mowing their lawn at the time, wasn’t aware of the fire at first. Neighbors notified him and called 911.
- Despite how intense the flames were, no severe injuries were reported.
- Even De Greeff’s own property along with another nearby home suffered damage from heat exposure, including melted siding and broken windows.
This news comes amid discussions about heroes among us
[8] The chief mentioned that “De Greeff’s bravery demonstrates how dedicated firefighters are even when they’re off duty.” " He rushed in without any protective gear, went after rescuing her, and brought her out safely," Usry stated. & &Now,the department intends to nominate De Greeff for a Medal of Honor due to his courageous efforts and life-saving actions..` &endash; `&endash; ____ ____ ____ ____ _______ ____ /LinkSource link–nnttnnttn
- As far as most folks are concerned,nfirefighters are often seen as heroes.n Yet those who know them understand they’re also incredibly humble.n They simply take care of people when they’re doing their jobs.< br>
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The chief added:
____________________Battalion Chief Mike Mc Carthy” “I think he’s downplaying his role.” “No doubt about it-his quick action saved that woman’s life.” “I don’t think you can overstate how important that moment really was.”” “You take care of people when you do this job for a living so that’s all what it was,” he remarked.
