Firefighter Brandon Norbut of Fall River, Mass., wasn’t on duty Sunday night when his girlfriend smelled smoke. He was washing dishes.
Yet, when the 23-year-old saw the smoke for himself, he couldn’t help but spring into action.
“The training kicks in at that point,” Norbut said, according to WJAR. “You know, it was just kind of automatic.”
Since the fire that engulfed the multi-family home next door to Norbut’s home occurred during a winter storm, first responders were having a difficult time getting to the scene. Before crews arrived, Norbut was able to evacuate the neighboring building.
“I met one of them downstairs in the lobby…and then the second was on the third floor,” he said. “We were able to get them out.”
Altogether, 11 people are left without homes due to the blaze.
None were injured, said The Herald News. According to reports, the building was a complete loss.
Even as crews arrived to put out the fire, they faced weather-related challenges.
“There was a significant delay because of the snow storm in getting here and getting water on it,” said Fall River District Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon.
“There were embers about the size of my fist blowing over my head,” said interim Fire Chief Roger St. Martin, according to WPRI. “It was very apocalyptic, I guess you could say.”
Norbut was also evacuated from his six-unit apartment building along with all of its other residents. He and his girlfriend spent the night at his grandmother’s house.
“I’d like to thank all the other guys (firefighters) on scene,” he said. “Unfortunately, the house was a complete loss, but they did a great job protecting the other structures.”
“He's got a year on the job and came in here and worked his tail off, he did a great job for us,” Bacon said of Norbut.
“I'm just doing my job,” Norbut said. He told reporters that a lot of neighbors also came out to help by shoveling and clearing a path for fire trucks.
In addition to Norbut, former Fall River firefighter James Furtado has also pitched in to help. His wife Sharon Schoonover Furtado, president of the 501(c)(3) Firefighters Wives Association Inc., has established a GoFundMe page for residents impacted by the fire. So far, $4,734 has been raised towards a $10,000 goal.
“I think it will be at least two months for them to get on their feet,” Schoonover Furtado said Monday.
WPRI reported that 26-year-old Emily Daddona, a resident of the burned building, was hit by a drunk driver last week before the fire and is in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. A separate GoFundMe page for Daddona’s family has gathered $27,441 towards a $50,000 goal.
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