Without Gear, GA FFs Rescue Elderly Couple from House Fire

Aug. 1, 2022
The two volunteer Pulaski County firefighters, who say they don't consider themselves heroes, rushed in from their nearby homes.

Two Hawkinsville volunteer firefighters, who rescued an elderly couple from a house fire, don't consider themselves heroes.  

Firefighters Matt Goss and Chris Clark live nearby and raced to the house. They had two choices -- go in without any of their gear or stand outside and listen to screams they heard coming from the home, 13WMAZ reported.

Larry Walker, 74, told the reporter: "You hear that 'zrrroooommmpppp' -- I heard that twice."

Clark described: "When we went in, you could not see her face. All you could see were the bottom of her legs in her recliner and the bottom of her phone. She still had 911 on her phone. Once I got her up and started dragging her, the adrenaline just trying to help her and get her out of that house, that's what got me to do that." 

Goss added: "The guy was in the wheelchair, so we just wheeled him out."

Margaret Walker, 86, was impressed by how swiftly they were rushed out of harm's way. "They grabbed us, and we were gone. We were out in a minute. It was surprising how fast it went."

Her husband of 48 years added: "When they got us out of the house, turned around, and it looked like a gas heater when you light it."

The Pulaski County firefighters say they did what any of their fellow crew members would have done. They added that they relied on their years of training to make the rescue.