Volunteer firefighter helps save trapped homeowners

A volunteer firefighter on his way home from work helped keep a garage fire from turning tragic Tuesday afternoon.

Two people were trapped on a deck in their home in the 400 block of Beacon Hill Drive, Hoquiam Fire Department Capt. John Bickar said, a raging fire in their attached garage barring their way to safety.

“They were just blocked by the heat and flames,” Bickar said.

The call for help went out at 2:47 p.m., when all but one firefighter from the Hoquiam Fire Department were out on aid calls. The firefighter arrived six minutes after the call came. The Aberdeen Fire Department was busy with calls as well, their first truck arriving 10 minutes later.

David Judd beat them all. The timber faller and volunteer firefighter from Fire District 6 spotted the smoke on his way home and stopped to help.

“He saw the smoke and decided to go up there on his own,” Bickar said. “He was there before any other units from Aberdeen or Hoquiam or anyone was there.”

The Hoquiam Police Department arrived, but officers were unable to reach the people because of the heat.

“(Judd) had his turnout gear in his truck, so he was able to get access up there and lower them down to the police department,” Bickar said. “We can be real thankful that we had a guy stop by there who had his turnout gear, because things could have been really nasty five minutes down the road.”

A second volunteer firefighter coincidentally on scene helped contain the fire to the garage.

Bickar said he was able to extend a second line to the house because Josh Ambrose, who responded with the Hoquiam Water Department, was able to take over running the pump truck.

The arrival of Judd and Ambrose was “very fortunate for being under-staffed,” Bickar said.

Damage to the home itself was limited to smoke and some sheet rock, removed by firefighters to check for fire.

The garage fire was so intense, a car inside was completely destroyed.

“There was not a piece of plastic or rubber left on there,” Bickar said.

Preliminary estimates put damage to the building at about $30,000, the car at about $10,000, although Bickar was still waiting Wednesday on identification of the make and model, and about $5,000 for the contents of the garage.

The homeowners were insured. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.