HAY RIVER - A Hay River man owes his life to two teenaged passers-by and a neighbour who rescued him from a smoke-filled house.

These Hay River residents – left to right, Chris Sangster, Brendan Look and Scott Heron – are credited with saving a sleeping man from a smoke-filled house. They entered the residence by smashing through the door in the background. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The two teens – Brendan Look, 17, and Scott Heron, 18 – were walking past the Porritt Place house just before 9 p.m. on March 19 when Look noticed an unusual light through a large window with no curtains.

"I thought it was like a really bright lamp, but it started flickering," Look said. "So I checked again, and I saw the stove and the grease and the pan of fire."

They started banging on the side door of the house, but no one answered. Heron then went to a neighbouring house just feet away and asked the occupants to call the police.

The two teens then tried to force their way into the smoke-filled house.

"We tried to kick down the door just to break the lock and another neighbour came and tried to kick it, but he couldn't," Look said. "A neighbour's wife was screaming telling Scottie to break the windows, so we did."

Once Heron smashed the window on the door with his elbow and opened the door, the two friends ran inside.

Both said they really didn't have to think before entering the smoky building.

"I didn't care," Heron said. "It was like I wanted to make sure no one was dead or anything."

Both said the whole house was full of smoke.

"We couldn't breathe," Look said. "We went straight to the fire, looking for something to put it out."

Heron grabbed a bowl out of the sink, filled it with water, took the frying pan off the stove and put the fire out.

"We don't know what was cooking," Heron said. "It was smoky and it was black. It looked like a giant ember to me."

They then began to search the house for occupants.

While they were upstairs looking around, a neighbour – 42-year-old Chris Sangster – had also entered the house and spotted a man on a couch.

"I grabbed him and dragged him outside," Sangster said, noting he was not sure if the man was sleeping or starting to be overcome by smoke.

Heron and Look believe they didn't immediately spot the man in the smoky house because he was dressed in black and covered by blankets.

The sleeping man was not awakened by a fire detector that was sounding.

No one was injured in the incident.

In fact, Look said the rescued man afterwards acted pretty much as if nothing had happened.

"He asked me for a cigarette and tried to go back inside the house," Heron added, noting the man was walking over broken glass in his socks.

The rescued man declined to comment to News/North.

However, he thanked all three of his rescuers at different times in the days after the incident.

Heron quoted him as saying, "If you guys hadn't did what you did, I would be in heaven right now."

The teenager advised the man not to cook and fall sleep, and to take better care of himself.

When he was thanked, Sangster said the rescued man said he is never going to cook again before going to bed.

Heron and Look downplayed any suggestion they are heroes for their actions.

"It's like anyone would do it if they saw it," Look said. "It's not kind of a big deal, but, the way people put it, it makes us feel good."

Heron agreed anyone else would have done the same thing.

"I don't consider myself a hero, but I guess I saved a guy's life," he said, adding that is a good feeling.

Heron believes the occupant of the house would have died from smoke inhalation and the house would have caught on fire.

Hay River RCMP commended all three rescuers.

The police said their quick actions stopped the fire from spreading off the stovetop, limited property damage and prevented injury.

Some friends of Heron and Look took the opportunity for good-natured ribbing, calling them Mr. Hero and singing songs with 'hero' in the lyrics.

Look is a Grade 12 student at Diamond Jenness Secondary School, while Heron is heading to Ontario this week for training to join the Canadian Forces.

The RCMP report that no foul play is suspected in the March 19 fire and no further police action is expected.

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