Fire Chief Dan Skaros yells for assistance prior to reaching through the back window and pulling out eight-year-old Cody O’Connor from the burning motorhome. The boy suffered burns to his upper body and is currently on life support.
Lyonel Doherty photo
It was just a “hunch,” but that’s all it took to save an eight-year-old boy from a burning motorhome last week.
Oliver Fire Chief Dan Skaros told the Chronicle that he had a hunch that Cody O’Connor was in the back of the RV that caught fire August 28 in Centennial RV Park.
While Skaros has been hailed as a “hero,” he downplayed that label, saying, “It’s just what I do.”
Skaros, an experienced firefighter, admitted he has never rescued anyone from a burning motorhome before.
In this case, he figured the boy might be hiding in the back of the unit, so he used a dowel to poke through the back window, at which point he felt a lump. So he climbed a ladder and reached through the window and pulled the boy’s limp body out into the arms of Osoyoos paramedic Dan Lyver. The boy was then rushed to the Oliver hospital and later flown to a burn unit in Vancouver. He reportedly suffered second-degree burns to his upper body.
Skaros was the first firefighter on scene because he was sitting in his truck only a couple of blocks away. He was scheduled to meet with BC Ambulance Service personnel when he smelled burning plastic. He then noticed smoke above some trees and raced to the scene. Upon arrival, he saw a couple of guys with a garden hose at the door of the motorhome.
“Then someone, the mom, came screaming that a boy was inside.”
Skaros said all he thought about was finding the boy, but he also had to ensure the safety of the public. He had to yell at some people to stay back and not to enter the smoke-filled RV.
When asked what the chances of survival would be if someone went inside to look for the boy, Skaros said no chance at all.
“The smoke was so thick (and toxic), it was unbelievable.”
But Skaros admitted he did take a couple of gulps of it.
The fire chief thanked everyone who assisted him during the ordeal. Reportedly, a couple of Norsteel employeessounded the alarm.
The next day, one of the campers in Centennial RV Park hailed Skaros as a quick thinking hero.
Dave from White Rock, whose wife Heather didn’t want to use their last name, said they had just checked into the park when someone yelled that the RV was on fire.
Smoke was billowing out of the motorhome and Heather started banging on the door to determine if anyone was inside. Dave then managed to wrench open the door, at which point more smoke billowed out.
Then they heard a woman screaming, “Oh my God, my baby’s in there.”
Heather said she used a chair, some wood and a ladder to break some windows.
Dave told the Chronicle that he attempted to go inside the motorhome but was met with a solid wall of smoke and a pile of pillows and blankets at the entranceway. He held his breath and tried again, but ended up choking.
Heather said when Skaros pulled the boy out of the back window, the child was limp and lifeless, and she feared for the worst.
“We felt sick all night, we felt so distraught,” Heather said.
They reiterated that Skaros kept his wits about him and was doing the opposite of everyone else by checking the back of the RV.
Ramsey Deprez, the boy’s father, was surveying the damage to the RV the following morning. He noted the older model (1988) motorhome was practically new inside, adding there was no chance the fire was caused by electrical failure. “I just can’t figure out how the fire could have started in there.”
Michael Contardi from ShareSpring.ca is launching a fundraising campaign for Cody’s family to help with expenses. Contardi said Deprez informed him that Cody took a turn for the worst and was placed on life support Tuesday morning. The boy underwent an operation on Monday to remove glass from his lungs.
The campaign link is http://www.sharespring.ca/campaigns/cody-o-conner-support-fund
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
