American Fork volunteer firefighter Barry Dayton has unquestionably lived up to his nickname.
But the woman and 4-year-old girl he helped rescue Monday morning couldn't have possibly known that the firefighter affectionately known as "Hero" around the station, and four other men, would burst in and struggle through thick smoke and a fiery inferno to save their lives.
Fate seemingly put the men in the right place at the right time.
American Fork Fire Chief Kriss Garcia said water department employees Dayton, along with Red Austill, Randall Honey and Jon Varney, were working on a water line in the 300 East block of 100 North when they smelled smoke and saw flames at a nearby home.
At about the same time, American Fork city councilman Brad Frost happened by and stopped to help.
Garcia said the men noticed a number of cars were parked in the driveway of the burning home and feared someone could be inside, so they pounded on the locked doors, but got no answer. Then they went around to the rear and broke a window to enter the home.
Frost said the men picked up an empty flower pot and threw it through the window so they could reach through and unlock the deadbolt before rushing inside.
"At one point we had to go out and get a breath, and we went back in there," Frost said. "It was so smoky."
He said the men made as much noise as possible, but still the mother, who was upstairs, couldn't hear them.
By the time they had located Sara Kelsch and her daughter, McKenna, Frost estimated they had about 30 seconds to a minute left before the staircase would have been completely engulfed in flames, and the duo would have been trapped on the upper floor. He said the mother had no idea their lives were in danger.
Garcia said the rescuers wrapped the child in a towel and carried her out while the mother came along with them. He said the two were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Garcia said winds were blowing the smoke away from the home even while the fire spread inside, so the smoke detectors didn't immediately go off to warn the family of the danger. He said the smoke detectors first started sounding when firefighters arrived about three minutes after the initial call.
"No way these people would have gotten out of there alive without those guys going in," Garcia said. "These guys deserve the recognition. They are heroes. They did what they didn't have to do."
Frost, however, contends the men did what anyone would do.
"Instinctively, I think anybody that sees that will try to help people," he said. "It happens so fast. You just act quickly."
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