COWETA, Oklahoma — Wagoner County Sheriff's deputies, Coweta police, and Coweta fire fighters rescued 74-year-old Calvin Herringshaw from a house fire, Thursday night.
Deputies responded to the burning trailer home in rural Coweta around 7:30 p.m. Three deputies met Coweta Police Sergeant Bobbi Pickett at the house. They tried to break through a side door, but the air inside was too hot to bear and too hazy to breathe.
"We couldn’t even get to the open window without a few seconds and then backing out to catch ourselves and get our breath back," Pickett said. "We couldn't see just a few feet past our face."
Officers shouted for Herringshaw but could not get through to him. After minutes, Pickett made contact with Herringshaw. He said he saw him sitting in a chair facing the wall unable to save himself, but officers were not equipped to save him either.
“It was hard not knowing where the guy was. It was harder when you could see him and there was nothing we could do besides talk to him," Pickett said.
"The focus was just, 'We've got to figure out a way to get him out,'" Wagoner County Sheriff's Reserve Deputy Jess Lambert said.
Coweta fire fighters arrived in just the nick of time. Officers hoisted them through Herringshaw's broken bedroom window and the rescuers carried the handicapped man out of the fire to safety. An all-hands-on-deck moment of heroism from a few of Wagoner County's finest.
“It’s just like going into a big game with your friend, unfortunately the game is somebody’s life and we always play to win," Pickett said.
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