Passing motorist saves man from burning home

May 05, 2008 08:39 pm

— By BECKY CRISSMAN
becky.crissman@gaflnews.com

CORDELE — One man is in the hospital severely burned, but alive today because of the heroic effort of another man.
Tommy Sangster, 44, of Vienna was traveling his usual route when, to his horror, he saw dark black smoke boiling from the roof of a blazing home at the corner of 13th Street and Cloverdale.
Sangster quickly stopped his vehicle and dialed 911 for assistance. He approached the residence and began to beat and pound on the door in an attempt to find out if anyone was trapped inside.
Lying there in the middle of the floor, fire enveloping him, was 26 year old Alton Harvey.
“I could hear things in the house sizzling and burning and the front window exploded. I heard a sound as though something were rolling across the floor, and then I distinctly heard some moaning and grunting,” Sangster said.
“At that point I knew whoever was inside did not have long.” Sangster then sprang into action by kicking in the front door. The smoke was so black and thick that it ached his eyes, and he could not see. He crawled across the floor, calling and hoping that the trapped resident would respond.
“I looked around and saw a sofa and recliner on fire and just in front of them I saw what I thought was a coffee table ablaze. Then suddenly it began to roll, and I realized it was not a table. It was a person.
“I tried screaming to him to crawl out and stay down but I believe at that point he was out of it. I tried to take him by the arms but it was difficult to move him because of the burns. I fell back out the door, ran to grab my jacket and tossed it over Harvey’s legs and began to drag him from the home.”
By this time, neighbors had begun to scream that children also lived in the home. Sangster ran to the window to listen for more activity within the home, but heard nothing.
At 6:45 a.m., just 15 minutes after receiving the call, EMS and five county fire engines responded to the scene. Firefighters entered the home in search of the unaccounted for children. They discovered later that the children had spent the night with a relative and were not in the home.
Sangster said when he awoke Saturday, he debated whether or not to even go out that day and thought he might just stay home. He forced himself to get going and made his way through his regular routine.
Sangster spends his Saturday mornings collecting scrap metal for sale and makes stops at several places to pick up the metal. He said he never imagined for a second that the events would unfold in a manner to put him in a situation he will never forget.
“I made my first stop and did not see any metal to collect. It was just about daybreak at the time. I didn’t even bother to get out of my truck. I just decided to go on to my next stop.” It was enroute there that he saw the burning home.
Firefighters said that the blaze began in the kitchen as a result of cooking materials left unattended. The victim was airlifted to Augusta where he has been in intensive care with burns covering around 90% of his body.
As for Sangster, what does he do after risking his life to save another? One of the responding firefighters said they turned to speak with him again and he had just disappeared.
“I do not consider myself a hero for what I did,” Sangster said. “It was the right thing to do. I just reacted to the situation. I was blessed to be in the right place at the right time.
“I feel like it was no coincidence that events transpired the way they did. I was meant to be there, it was part of a bigger plan.”
Sangster says that he is very interested in Harvey’s progress and has been in touch with and met many members of the young man’s family.
“I am feeling very humbled by how they have treated me. He has a long road to recovery, but he is going to make it.
“You never expect to be in a position like this, but all I really have to say is that it is an eye opener. It really makes you appreciate life and not worry so much about petty day to day aggravations. As for myself I am definitely looking at life in a different way.”

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