BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- As a family of four remained hospitalized Monday, Jan. 2, after fire consumed their Happy Valley home early New Year's Day, the Bellingham firefighters who saved a mother and her two daughters from certain death were being hailed as heroes.
"These guys did an incredible job," said Bellingham Fire Department Assistant Chief Roger Christensen. "We're very proud of them."
But the engine company officer who led the dramatic rescue praised the family's father, Joseph MacGregor, for providing accurate information that helped firefighters locate his wife and two daughters, who lay unconscious in a front bedroom as flames roared around them in the one-story duplex at 1208 24th St.
"The real hero there is the father," said Capt. Danny Anderson, 61, a 38-year veteran of the Bellingham Fire Department assigned to Engine 2 at the Fairhaven firehouse.
MacGregor, who was burned and bloodied as he smashed a window in a frantic attempt to save his family, was able to show Anderson exactly where his wife and girls were trapped. Without that knowledge, Anderson said he would have made different tactical decisions in making assignments to his crew.
"The outcome could've been completely different," Anderson said. "We could be having four funerals."
In addition, Anderson said, Jennifer MacGregor apparently closed the door as she and Willow, 10, and Summer, 13, sought refuge against the flames and heavy smoke. Anderson said the door protected the girls and their mother from the worst of the heat and smoke in the 10-foot by 12-foot bedroom.
"It was almost like there was divine intervention, the way things went," Anderson said. "It was a huge team effort."
All four MacGregors were listed in serious condition Monday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after suffering burns and inhalation injuries in the blaze. Joseph MacGregor's condition has improved from critical to serious, according to a nursing supervisor at the hospital.
Federal privacy laws prevent hospital officials from providing details about their conditions.
No damage estimate or information on the fire's cause was available Monday, Christensen said. Preliminary investigation shows the fire started in the living room where a guest was sleeping. He escaped unharmed.
The duplex was destroyed and two family cats apparently perished in the inferno.
Meanwhile, family friends have created a Facebook page -- Help Support the MacGregor Family in Bellingham WA -- to provide information and solicit donations. The website has information on the girls' clothing sizes and details about some of the family's more immediate needs. They lost everything. It was unknown if they were insured.
A bank account for contributions was to be established once financial institutions reopen after the New Year's holiday, and the PTA at Happy Valley Elementary was organizing donations, according to Facebook posts.
"Things happened pretty fast," Anderson recalled as he discussed the fire Monday. His three-man crew was nearing the end of a fairly busy day, having answered seven alarms in their 24-hour New Year's Eve shift -- including two medical calls and hospital transports after midnight -- when the call came for a "residential structure fire with entrapment" at 4:22 a.m. Sunday.
"When I heard the address, I yelled, 'This is it! It's ours!" Anderson said. The fire at 1208 24th St. was only a few blocks away from Engine 2's firehouse on Harris Avenue. Anderson said he could see the glow of flames reflected in the trees as the engine crested a hill only a few blocks away.
"We had heavy fire, big fire," Anderson said. "I knew we had to move quick."
As Anderson donned his air tank, mask and helmet, driver Ryan Heerspink readied the engine to pump water and ran to get information from the father. Meanwhile, firefighter Michael Johnson -- Engine 2's "pipeman" -- shouldered a bundle of hose and stretched it toward the house. Anderson directed him to flow water through an open window near where the victims were trapped, in hopes of reducing the immediate fire threat.
Heavy, black smoke puffed from the eaves of the building -- a sign that conditions inside were worsening.
Heerpsink placed a ladder into the open window and Anderson clambered up, rolling headfirst into the room, followed by Johnson. Visibility was zero, and Anderson would learn later that fire was burning through the top of the bedroom door. For the moment, they were safe in their protective "turnout" gear, but the victims were in grave danger. Anderson knew that conditions inside the room could turn deadly in a flash for the victims, himself and his crew.
Groping around the room on their hands and knees, they found the first victim, a girl, and passed her out the window and down the ladder.
It was so hot in the tiny room that part of one firefighter's helmet melted as they dragged the victims toward safety, Anderson said.
Outside, Engine 3's crew arrived from the Indian Street station and firefighters Jeff Salloway and Scott Hansen joined the search. Hansen was on his first official shift as Engine 3 captain.
Together, they found and rescued the mother and another girl, passing them out the window to be treated by firefighter-paramedics and transported to St. Joseph's hospital. Later, the entire family was airlifted by helicopters to Harborview.
"I've had a few fatal fires and some rescues, but nothing to this degree," Anderson said. He praised the work of every firefighter at the incident, and singled out St. Joseph hospital's medical staff for its excellent work as the emergency room erupted in chaos when the four patients arrived at once.
Above all, he's grateful he could help make a difference in someone's life.
"It's our job," Anderson said. "It's not, 'Oh, wow, look what I did!' It's what we did as a team."
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
