As a Manchester firefighter, Keith Knight has done his fair share of smoke-ensnared rescues.
But Sunday was a little different for Knight, 41, when he saw a car flip over a guardrail on Interstate 93 and roll down an embankment. When he ran up to the wreck, he was clad in only a sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers.
No heat-resistant clothing. No oxygen tank. No fire hose.
"I knew it was bad. When you do this, your training kicks in," Knight said Monday.
The accident took place early Sunday evening in Andover, Mass.
Knight and New Hampshire State Trooper Scott Frye worked to free the driver while flames burned trees and brush around them, the SUV tires exploded from the heat, and toxic fumes poured off burning plastic.
"That guy was probably a minute or two from getting burned up. We knew we had to get the guy out. That was our main focus, to get the guy out," Knight said.
The 10-year veteran firefighter spoke at Manchester's Central Fire Station, where he is assigned. He spoke to a reporter, underwent ribbing from his fellow firefighters and took a telephone call from Gov. John Lynch.
Trooper Frye was actually driving Lynch and Dr. Susan Lynch on the highway when he came across the accident. New Hampshire State Police initially scheduled a press conference for Tuesday about the matter, then canceled it.
"Keith typifies the quality of people we have working here. He's a firefighter 24-7," said Manchester Fire Chief Jim Burkush.
Knight said the driver, whom Massachusetts authorities identified as Steven R. Marques, 61, of Methuen, Mass., couldn't move, a bent steering wheel lodged against his thigh.
While Marques was conscious, at times he had seemed to give up, Knight said. Both Knight and Frye tried to free Marques, and when Knight turned away to grab a breath of fresh air, Frye reached in and was able to move the seat back, Knight said.
It still took three or four attempts to heave the big man out of the car, Knight said. Others who had stopped helped to carry Marques up an embankment.
While Knight said he's been in more dangerous situations while a firefighter, Sunday's was the most dangerous without turnout gear.
Knight coughed a couple of times during an interview, and he said both Frye and he took in smoke.
"It was nasty," he said about the smoke. He said the vehicle's initial plunge down the embankment caused a fireball to go up, which lit brush and trees aflame in an area of about 900 square feet.
Other passers-by tried to douse the flames as Knight and Frye worked to free Marques, he said.
"All I can say is thank God for the (recent) rain," Knight said. Had it stayed dry, they would not have been able to free Marques, he said.
Massachusetts State Police said they continue to investigate the accident and a possible road-rage incident between Marques' Dodge Durango and a red Ford pickup that may have preceded the accident.
Marques received a warning for marked lanes violations, and Massachusetts police said additional charges are possible. Marques is in the cardiac unit of Lawrence General Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
Copyright 2012 - The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
