101-Year-Old Saved From Raging Okla. Wildfire

Sept. 9, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY -- A 101-year-old man will live another day thanks to his old friend and caretaker. A.C. Johnson was at home during a wildfire that leveled several homes in Oklahoma City. J.R. Bradford, Johnson's caretaker, said the 101-year-old didn't know there was a fire coming until it was too late. And when he tried to find the centenarian, he ran into a literal roadblock. Police stopped Bradford, saying he couldn't venture into the path of the wildfire.

OKLAHOMA CITY --

A 101-year-old man will live another day thanks to his old friend and caretaker.

A.C. Johnson was at home during a wildfire that leveled several homes in Oklahoma City.

J.R. Bradford, Johnson's caretaker, said the 101-year-old didn't know there was a fire coming until it was too late. And when he tried to find the centenarian, he ran into a literal roadblock.

Police stopped Bradford, saying he couldn't venture into the path of the wildfire.

"And I kind of had to persuade the policeman. Well, I did persuade him. But another one denied my privileges to come through," said Bradford, 85. "He said, 'No, you can't go through there.'"

But he didn't take "no" for an answer.

"I said, 'Yes, there's an old man in house. He's 100 years old,'" said Bradford.

With some cajoling, police eventually escorted him to Johnson's home. And with the fire just across the street, the men fled to safety.

The home, however, was a total loss.

"It's a tragedy for the old man. He seems to take it well. He said, 'It don't look like it used to.' That's all he said," said Bradford.

Copyright 2011 by koco.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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