PGFD Asst. Chief rescues woman from burning car
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The Prince George's County Fire Department is applauding a veteran firefighter for his quick thinking, pulling a woman from a burning vehicle.
When he saw smoke, PGFD Assistant Fire Chief Darren Ware stopped on the side of northbound Route 301 near Brandywine Road on Wednesday. Inside a burning car on the side of the road, he found a woman in the driver's seat.
"I hit on the window and said, 'Open the door.' And quickly, I realized that wasn't going to happen," said Ware, a 21-year veteran of the department.
The woman was experiencing a medical emergency.
Soon, retired Deputy Fire Chief Tyrone Wells and another man - an unidentified good Samaritan - also stopped to help. They broke through the driver side window to pull the woman out, but then the car started moving.
"She inadvertently stepped on the gas pedal And caused the vehicle to move and shift further down the embankment," Ware said.
They eventually pulled her to safety through the passenger side window.
"As you can expect, we were moving at 100 miles per hour," said Ware.
Soon after rescuing the woman from the car, and using his radio to call for help, Ware started recording video on his cell phone. Just a few minutes later, the car was fully engulfed in flames.
"From experience, I know how fast vehicles can become completely involved, so time was of the essence," he said.
It is a story to celebrate after a difficult week for Prince George's County firefighters who are mourning the death of one of their own - Lt. John Ulmschneider.
In fact, Ware helped coordinate mutual aid resources during Ulmschneider's funeral. He was just heading home from his shift when he spotted the car on fire.
It's still unclear what caused that fire. PGFD said the woman is expected to be okay; her medical episode did not appear to be not life-threatening.
