At a recent Clermont City Council meeting, local residents Chris Desmond and Brian Walker were presented the Lifesaving Award from Fire Chief Carle Bishop for their courageous efforts in saving the life of an unconscious neighbor. “I commend them for their courageous efforts,” said Chief Bishop
Brian Walker of Minneola was driving into a mobile home park at 660 Hooks St. so that his friend, Chris Desmond, could help repair Walker’s truck. Walker noticed heavy smoke coming from one of the residences a few doors away. Walker alerted Desmond, and the two men raced to the smoke-filled home.
Desmond saw his unconscious neighbor in a chair that had a lit cigarette on it. Desmond and Walker carried the man out, and then Desmond tried to douse the fire with water.
Clermont Fire Department and Lake County Fire Rescue responded and determined that the fire had started from the lit cigarette.
“Without the quick actions of these two men, the situation could have been catastrophic,” said Interim Fire Marshal Jennifer Pierce. She urged all residents to check their smoke alarms regularly.
The unidentified resident was transported to South Lake Hospital for treatment. No emergency personnel were injured, and the fire was contained to the single residence. Pierce said there were no working smoke alarms found in the home.
