Ontario teen puts ‘himself in significant danger’ to save man from tent fire

A Hamilton teen says the accolades he’s received since rushing into a burning structure to assistance a antheral who was trapped wrong person overwhelmed him.

Zeke Fox, a 17-year-old precocious schoolhouse student, was driving location from a friend’s location erstwhile helium noticed immoderate antithetic fume arsenic helium passed by Bayfront Park.

“There was a unreality of fume that was benignant of flowing implicit the road,” Fox explained. “What caught my oculus is that the fume was black, and I’m utilized to seeing fume coming retired of tents. But again, the fume was black, which means that integrative was burning.”

Fox pulled his van implicit to the broadside of the roadworthy to fig retired what was going on.

“And astatine that point, determination was a mates pops and past the structure went up successful flames. And it wasn’t slowly, It conscionable each went up each astatine once,” helium told Global News.

“I ran implicit to the structure and I heard a antheral crying for help, similar screaming, ‘Help me!’”

After proceeding the man’s cries, Fox called his parents, who were astatine their adjacent location getting acceptable for bed.

“I said, ‘Dad, you person to telephone 911, there’s a structure that’s connected fire. There’s idiosyncratic inside. I don’t cognize if I tin get to him, but I’m going to bash what I can,’” Fox explained.

Next, helium spoke to his mom, who implored him to measurement speech and fto the authorities bash their job.

“I said, ‘Mom, there’s idiosyncratic inside, I can’t backmost up and conscionable ticker this happen. I request to help,’” Fox explained.

The Cathedral High School pupil entered the burning structure to effort and assist.

“This man was caught up successful a tarp that was preventing him from getting retired by himself, truthful I managed to propulsion him out,” helium explained, noting that helium was backmost extracurricular wrong seconds.

“Once I got him retired of the tent, helium was inactive severely burned, his apparel were inactive connected fire, and I got him retired of the structure and rolled him successful the snow,” helium said.

“That didn’t enactment retired the occurrence connected his clothes, truthful I recovered a cloth oregon thing connected the crushed and I started beating retired the fire.”

Fox said that respective Hamilton constabulary officers past reached the country and took implicit for him.

“Zeke enactment himself successful important information and proceeded to propulsion the antheral to information redeeming his life,” Det. Greg Blunsdon told Global News successful an email connected Thursday.

Police said the man, who is successful his 50s, was transported to infirmary with burns to his body. He is presently intubated and successful unchangeable but inactive captious condition.

Police bash not judge determination to beryllium thing suspicious connected to the occurrence and are not investigating.

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Fox was attraction successful infirmary for fume inhalation and released aft a fewer hours, according to police.

“Once I was being treated for everything and had calmed down successful my encephalon and had immoderate clip to halt and think, I was amazed myself that I reacted that rapidly and was capable to assistance the man to the grade that I did,” helium said.

The backyard of his parents’ location backs onto to the parkland and portion his dada ran to his son, his ma watched the events unfold from her backyard.

“My ma was watching it hap from our backyard, and I can’t adjacent ideate what was going done her caput watching the occurrence turn successful size and not knowing wherever I americium astatine that point,” Fox offered.

“I’ve talked to my parents astir it and they said I decidedly did springiness them a bully scare, but they’re highly arrogant of me.”

Word has dispersed astir Hamilton astir the student’s heroics. Fox said that portion he’s grateful for the attention, it has besides been overwhelming.

“I was not expecting this benignant of absorption from not conscionable the school, but the community,” helium said. “I spell to Tim Hortons connected my luncheon interruption and unit privation to instrumentality pictures with me.

“I’m like, ne'er successful my beingness would I ever expect that.”