FARMINGTON -- A Farmington volunteer firefighter injured in a Nov. 21 house fire outside Prairie Grove suffered second and third degree burns on his left wrist and hand but is expected to fully recover, except for scars on his skin.
Willie Watts, a Fayetteville firefighter and assistant chief with Farmington, admitted he had a "brief moment of panic" when he fell from the first floor of the house into a burning basement. The fire destroyed a large two-story house with a basement on Dave Sargent Drive. At the time, officials thought the house had 4,000 square feet but it actually was a 7,500-square-foot house.
Watts said he was able to call a mayday alarm over his radio and wandered around the basement, burning and smoke-filled, for about two minutes before finding a wall that he hoped would help him find his way out. He said he then saw a light and reached out and grabbed the arm of Bret Cunningham, another firefighter who had gone into the basement to rescue Watts. Cunningham and firefighter Scott Murphy helped Watts out of the house.
"It was not nearly as dramatic as it sounds but it was plenty dramatic to me," Watts said, adding, "I'm grateful to them [Cunningham and Murphy]. They did their job. The system worked like it was supposed to."
Watts and other firefighters used the rescue to create a new award that will be given by the Farmington Fire Department as warranted.
The C.D. Pike-Roland Davis Chief's Award for Courage and Bravery was established to recognize and honor Pike and Davis for their dedication and commitment to the city of Farmington and Farmington Fire Department.
"Both of these men displayed courage and bravery far above what was expected in all that they did," Watts said.
Pike served as volunteer fire chief for many years and Davis as assistant fire chief.
The first recipients of the award were announced at the department's annual Christmas party, Dec. 2. Watts presented awards to Chief Mark Cunningham, Bret Cunningham and Scott Murphy for their actions during the Nov. 21 house fire.
Mark Cunningham as incident commander remained calm and focused in directing the rescue, Watts said.
Bret Cunningham and Murphy "both displayed courage and bravery far above what is expected by entering the collapsed and burning structure to save a fellow firefighter. Without these selfless acts of these fine men, I would not have made it from that burning structure with only minor injuries," Watts said in presenting the awards.
Mark Cunningham also honored both firefighters at the Dec. 8 Farmington City Council meeting. He presented plaques to both, describing their actions of bravery to council members.
Cunningham said it appeared the house fire started in the basement of the house near a woodburning stove. A spokesman with the Washington County Fire Marshal's office said the cause of the fire is undetermined but still under investigation.
General News on 12/17/2014