VIDEO: Finally, firefighters saw his face.
Cardiologist Jebran Karam was buried under six to eight feet of rubble when his Ballantyne house exploded July 2, firefighters from Charlotte Fire Station No. 3 told reporters Friday.
Somehow, Karam stayed conscious. He called 911 on his smartwatch and stayed on the phone with dispatchers, so his rescue team knew he was alive.
As more than 80 firefighters rushed to the area, Karam was able to call out and talk to them directly. They maneuvered around two-by-fours and chunks of stone to create a “basketball-sized” hole all the way down to his head, firefighter Matt Saraceno said.
A helicopter was standing by, ready to airlift the 59-year-old doctor to Carolinas Medical Center, firefighter Chris Cangemi said.
It would take hours to bring him to safety. His wife, 58-year-old Rania Karam, was found dead after an even longer search.