Halifax firefighters describe risking their lives to save elderly man from wildfire – CBC

Capt. Kevin Corkum and firefighter Conor Scott found the man in his home, ‘unaware of the danger’

Jun 05, 2023

A Halifax Regional Fire captain who risked his own life to rescue an elderly man from an active wildfire zone says he was just doing his job — and doesn’t consider himself a hero.

A wildfire in the Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas, just northwest of Halifax, was sparked on May 28 and forced mass evacuations of several subdivisions.

Capt. Kevin Corkum and firefighter Conor Scott were working at a command post on Hammonds Plains Road when an emergency call came in that day.

A family couldn’t get to their elderly father who has dementia and was home alone on Yankeetown Road — inside the evacuation zone.

Corkum said the fire had already ripped through the area, and crews had retreated due to the flames.

“When the 911 call came in [saying] that there was a person in the house, we knew that fire conditions were going to be bad on that road,” Corkum told CBC Radio’s Maritime Noon on Monday.

“But that’s what we do. We’re the fire service. Our main objective is life safety.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-fire-captain-wildfire-saved-life-1.6865761