Off-Duty VA Firefighter Saves Elderly Couple from Burning Car

An off-duty Virginia firefighter saved an elderly couple from a burning car over the weekend.

“What I did had nothing to do with being a fireman, had nothing to do with the training that I’ve been through,” Lynchburg firefighter Chad Reeves told WSLS-TV. “Just had everything to do with being a decent human being and seeing two people that needed some help.”

Reeves, who also is the chief for the Red House Volunteer Fire Department, had just finished an overnight shift with the department and was driving home through Appomattox County on Sunday morning. That's when he saw a car on fire on the side of the road.

After calling 9-1-1, Reeves went to the car to see if anyone was inside. Heavy smoke prevented him from seeing into the car, but he discovered the driver inside and was able to pull her to safety.

Very thankful for perfect timing this Sunday morning. AVFD crews were dispatched to a vehicle fire with 2 occupants...

Posted by Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday, December 6, 2020

“Once I got her up there, she told me that her husband was in there, to please get her husband out,” the firefighter told WSLS.

Back at the car, Reeves had trouble with the door. Once he got it opened, he was able to unbuckle the elderly man and free him from the wreckage.

"The occupants were shaken but weren't otherwise injured," the Appomattox Volunteer Fire Department, which responded to the call, stated in an online update Sunday.

Despite the harrowing incident, the couple was able to return home that afternoon after being medically cleared.

“God’s good and was looking down on all of us,” Reeves told WSLS.