KEENE, N.H. — Keene Firefighter/Paramedic Keagen Snowden said he believed he was going to die when flames shot up a stairway during a four-alarm house fire on Nov. 6, trapping him and two other firefighters.
Snowden said he tried to find another way out while also thinking about the two other firefighters trapped with him, Tyler Barter and Joseph Amato Jr., The Keene Sentinel reported.
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Snowden, Barter and Amato were treated for burns at Cheshire Medical Center and released the same day.
Snowden, who has been with the Keene Fire Department for five years, said it was the second-worst fire of his career. Barter, a seven-month member of the department, called it the worst he has faced.
Snowden said the two searched room to room through low visibility, then moved to the second floor. There, he said, conditions worsened quickly after flames burned through a door and fire rolled overhead.
He said they decided to get out because there was no hose line on the second floor. In one of the few moments he could see, he told Barter it was time to leave, then the two reached the stairs and met Joseph Amato Jr., who arrived with a hose. Barter said he turned to pull the line up the tight corner at the top of the stairs.
The fire surged up the stairs, trapping the three firefighters, one of the only times Snowden could see on the second floor. Amato called a mayday. Snowden said a heavy door fell on him and he pushed it off, then tried to reach Barter and Amato as he swept the upstairs again, looking for a window.
“In my mind, those two guys are lost by themselves somewhere. They’re also scared and think they’re gonna die,” Snowden said. “And maybe that’s true. And at the time, it was true for me, but at the very least, maybe I can find them, and they’re not gonna die alone.”
Snowden said he couldn’t locate Barter or Amato in the smoke, but heard Barter call out that he had found a room. Unable to tell where the voice was coming from, Snowden chose a doorway and eventually regrouped near the back of the second floor, close to the stairs, where he encountered a firefighter who had knocked down the stairwell fire and helped guide them out.
Barter said he tried to knock down flames on the stairs as conditions deteriorated and the heat intensified, then moved into a room that was less affected by the fire and found a window. He prepared to use his bailout kit, but firefighters spotted him and brought a ladder to the window.
Officials said the three firefighters were trapped for only a few minutes, though it felt longer. Barter and Snowden suffered burns to their hands, arms and ears, and their heat-damaged gear showed the intensity of the fire.
Deputy Chief Seymour said most firefighters face at least one call they aren’t sure they’ll survive, and the reality of the job is it could happen again.
