As a career firefighter in Washington, D.C., and a 32-year volunteer with the Independent Hose Co. in Frederick, Jeff Scire has run into his fair share of burning buildings.
He usually has close to 50 pounds of safety and breathing equipment to protect him, but none of it was available Monday afternoon as Scire found himself facing a smoke-filled basement less than a mile from his home on Indian Springs Road.
“There was smoke pouring out of the side door into the basement, but when I peeked in there, I heard someone yell, ‘Help! Help!’ and all I had time to think was, ‘Oh, boy, here we go ...’ and I pulled my shirt up over my face and I went right in,” Scire said.
Having received an alert for a basement fire in the 8800 block of Indian Springs Road at about 4:30 p.m., Scire drove there to see if he could help, but quickly realized that he was a step ahead of the closest responding firefighters en route.
When a woman standing in front of the house told Scire her husband was still inside, Scire knew he had to act.