SOMERSET COUNTY, Md. -- Three men pulled a man from a burning home in Westover on Tuesday afternoon. Cody Bradshaw told us he was driving down Crisfield Highway when he saw smoke pouring out of a house.
According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal, the fire broke out in the kitchen of the home on Crisfield Highway around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Two people and two dogs were inside. We are told they escaped with the help of Bradshaw and two other men.
On Wednesday, Bradshaw told us his remarkable story. He was humble, but the aftermath makes it clear, it's a very good thing he was driving by and that he and two other men were willing to go inside.
Mere minutes before the home was engulfed by flames, a man inside was still trying to find his way out through the blinding smoke. Bradshaw and two other's were there to make sure it wasn't left to chance.
"We had got talking to the guy, telling him, you know, try to get down the stairs because he was upstairs," said Bradshaw. "Just told him to try to jump down, slide down any kind of way because we couldn't see him."
With the help of a flashlight, Bradshaw told us the man did eventually make it down the stairs. That's when Bradshaw and the others sprang into action.
"Another gentleman was there, not sure of their names but he went in, grabbed the guy and when he got him down where we could see him," said Bradshaw. "We went in, helped pull him out and walked him over safely away in the grass."
Then Bradshaw watched from across the street as the fire grew bigger and bigger. He told us it absolutely was daunting staring into the home, but he's glad he and the two other guys were in the right place at the right time.
"I always try to help people and luckily those guys were there," said Bradshaw. "We got him out and we moved him across the road because the house wasn't fully enflamed yet and when it did, things started popping and exploding and you know, it could've been bad."
Three men in Westover, Maryland, very well could be the reason a man is alive today.
This incident also brings to light the difficulty local volunteer fire companies are facing.
Princess Anne was the largest responding unit, assisted by stations from Somerset, Worcester and Wicomico Counties.
Westover is rural and is surrounded only by volunteer fire companies, and many of those department are struggling with recruiting and keeping firefighters.
Matt McCormick with the Princess Anne Volunteer Fire Company told us getting enough people together during an emergency is becoming increasingly difficult.
"For here I mean it's, you have certain employments that are within town limits but a lot of them actually travel to go to other county's, Salisbury or Pocomoke or Ocean City to be able to do employment," said McCormick. "So some of them are not even in town to be able to even do that."
McCormick said they are in need of volunteers and are taking applications. He said you can stop by the station to grab one.
