BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – Firefighters put their lives on the line during every shift. Weeks ago, an off-duty Bristol, Tennessee firefighter saved a man’s life thanks to his daughter’s keen eyes.
Preslon Meares says she needed a treat the night of the fire.
“It was a rough day, and I needed to go get some popcorn,” she said.
She was driving to get that popcorn with her dad, Captain Darrell Meares of the Bristol Tennessee Fire Department, and then do some homework.
That’s when their day took an interesting turn. Preslon noticed smoke at a house.
“And I said, ‘Dad, I think that house is on fire,'” she recalled.
After driving closer, they saw the house with smoke and flames. Captain Meares called it in and went to investigate while Preslon stayed in the vehicle. That’s when he saw a man lying unconscious in the hallway.
“I yelled at him. I said, ‘I’m going to have to go get this guy,'” Captain Meares said. “I saw flames coming from the back side of the hallway. So I went in there, wrapped my arms around him and drug him out. Drug him out to the front porch.”
Rescue vehicles arrived to fight the flames and treat the man, and Preslon got to see her dad save a life, something he does every day.
“You saw flames and everything, and you think ‘it’s really unreal that someone does that,'” Preslon said. When asked if she considers her dad a hero, Preslon quickly replied.
“Yeah, I do.”
Captain Meares took the opportunity at the blaze to show his daughter how fire behaves. It was something she normally wouldn’t get to see.
“It was great helping somebody out, obviously, but having her there with me was that much better,” Captain Meares said.
A not-so-good day turned better, thanks to Preslon’s sharp eyes.
“It was a good day,” said Captain Meares. “Praise the Lord! It was a good day.”
Preslon agree, with a special bonus.
“It turned out okay. I got my popcorn.”
