A local firefighter who fell through the first floor of a home and got trapped in a burning basement said Wednesday that he didn't think he was going to survive.
The drama unfolded two weeks ago when Kenny Amback and his fellow South Oldham firefighters were battling a house fire in Oldham County.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the blaze was almost out, so they tried to enter through a first-floor window, WLKY NewsChannel 32's Stephanie Segretto reported. Amback went in first, and within seconds, he'd disappeared.
"It's like the world kind of stopped and time just kind of crawled and everything became surreal and in slow motion," Amback recalled.
Amback said he still can remember each horrific moment after entering the burning home, then found himself in a fight for his life.
"No sooner than I asked for the other guy to come in and also hand me over the handline, the floor just collapsed," he said.
Added colleague Chad Buechele: "He was there for a split second and he was gone."
Firefighter Mike Chappel said he tried to grab Amback, but the floor began to collapse underneath his feet, so he had to let go, sending Amback into the burning basement below.
"The first thing that went through my mind was, 'Oh my God, he's gone,'" Chappel said.
That's about when Amback thought he was going to die, Segretto reported.
"Once I actually started feeling myself being burned, at that point, I did not know if I was going to make it out or not," Amback said.
Just as one firefighter thought his life was ending, a team effort to save him was just beginning.
"I held onto Chad's legs as he reached over and tried to reach Kenny, and we couldn't get to him," Chappel said.
The pain became more excruciating as each second passed, Amback said.
"It was just an unbelievable amount of pain," he said. "I actually felt the skin being literally burnt off of (me). I don't even know how to put that into words."
Running out of options, Chappel said all he could think was to grab a ladder and send it down.
"I was actually at the point where the heat was overcoming me," Amback said. "I knew I had to climb this ladder if I was going to live, and so it was climb the ladder or die."
And as heroic as Chappel's and Buechele's efforts were, Chappel said he saw another hero fighting through the smoke moments later.
"You're thinking that you lost somebody, and then here he comes out of all this fire and smoke and stuff and he's still alive," he said. "It's just unreal."
Amback said he was grateful for the help from his colleagues, who also are his friends, Segretto reported.
"Without these guys here today, I wouldn't be talking to you," he said.
Amback said what happened to him is just part of the job, and despite the third-degree burns he suffered, he plans to return to work as soon as possible.
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- March 30, 2006: Firefighter Injured In Fall While Battling Blaze
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