(Submitted photo/Duck Lake Fire Department)

By Derek Craddock

BRAVERY

Sask. firefighter shares story after saving friend from burning house

Nov 2, 2021 | 8:00 AM

A firefighter from Duck Lake said he was just looking out for his friend as smoke and flames quickly engulfed his home.

Tristan Hood has been a volunteer firefighter with Duck Lake for many years. For around 15 years, he’s worked with Hamm Construction in Saskatoon.

On Oct. 29, he was driving to work along Highway 11 early in the morning and noticed something unusual coming from the property of one of his friends.

“I left home to drive to the city, Saskatoon, quarter to six or something like that,” said Hood.

“I was driving up towards La Plaine (Trail), just north of Rosthern where the fire happened. I see everyone’s yard as I’m driving. It was dark, so I’d notice if there was something different along the way. I noticed a kind of an orange glow in his yard.”

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Hood knew that his friend, Ernie, would not be burning anything at that time of morning so he drove into his yard to see what was going on.

“I actually went into his yard and sure enough the front of his house was on fire, it had ignited or something shorted out. I showed up at his house and I started pounding on the door. Surprisingly he opened it and there was probably head high smoke in the house.”

“He tried to go back in and he started coughing and stuff so I made sure that he actually got out of there so I grabbed his jacket which was hanging by the door. I started his vehicle after that, moved his vehicle. By then, another vehicle had pulled into the yard.”

Fire crews from Duck Lake and Rosthern eventually arrived on the scene to put out the fire.

While Ernie was able to make it out safely, the fire had ravaged his home.

“By the time the crew got there with the truck and then I put on my gear, the flames were roaring through the house,” said Hood.

Hood’s actions did not go unnoticed, as a passerby also saw the fire that morning and witnessed Hood rescuing his friend from the burning home.

Amber Lang told paNOW she was on her way to Saskatoon around 6:30 a.m. when she noticed the fire.

“When I had arrived, a man had just pulled the lone elderly male from the residence as he had been sleeping at the time. His actions were absolutely heroic and he deserves recognition.”

Lang said she plans to nominate Hood for the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs Award for Bravery.

Hood was astonished that someone would nominate him for the award. When asked how he felt about the recognition, he said he didn’t know what to think as he was just helping someone in need.

“I just want to do what I can. My first instinct is ‘is there someone in there?’,” recalled Hood. “He was in there, I knew I could get him out. You do what you got to do when you’re a firefighter.”

“A lot of people wouldn’t do that but it’s something that I’ll do; put my life at risk. I’m like that. I like helping people out. If someone’s stranded on the side of the road, I’ll give them a hand, see if they need help.”

The Duck Lake Fire Department said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation but the homeowner Ernie is doing well.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @pa_craddock