Pleasant Garden, NC -- Two people are alive because of one man's courage.

Around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, 2009, Brad Routh tells us he saw flames coming from the woods on his drive home.

Being a retired fireman, he says his curiosity led him to a home on Raven Court in Pleasant Garden that had caught fire. " I guess having spent 20 years in the fire dept and then retired, when you see a fire you are nosey. You want to know the cause." said Routh.

The owners of the home were inside asleep. Brad Routh says he knocked and then entered the home to help get the couple out of harm's way.

James Fairrington, the owner of the home, said, "If they hadn't have come banging on the door, we would have probably slept through the whole thing and the house would have burnt to the ground with us in it."

Routh continued to help the Fairrington remove few personal items and both dogs, but he said they had to move quick. "I could see the flames coming over the house and I knew that it was probably less than a minute, maybe not over two minutes and the house would be fully involved," said Routh.

Shortly thereafter, the Climax Volunteer Fire Department arrived and called on Routh for assistance. "The fire chief pointed to me and said 'I want you to run the engine' and I said 'I don't think I remember how'," said Routh. But he says once he sat down in front of the panel, it all came back to him.

Routh never mentioned that he helped remove the couple from the home before they were hurt. Mrs. Fairrington alerted the Climax Volunteer Fire Department about Routh's heroic actions.

For the Fairringtons, the word 'hero' seems most appropriate. "I didn't get to say anything to him like I would like to. If I could say anything to him I would just say, 'God Bless him, and I thank him from the bottom of my heart'," said Fairrington.

But Routh just shook his head back and forth when we mentioned the word, "I don't think I am, but you know, I'll do it again tomorrow." Routh says he was just doing what he was trained to do.

Fire investigators say the fire started in part of the work shed and strong winds blew it up towards the back of the home.
"if they hadn't have come banging on the door, we would have probably slept through the whole thing. The house would have probably burnt to the ground, with us in it."

I know this guy. lol

www.DigTriad.com