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Reservist rescues sleeping man from burning home
Aaron Pickard, Timmins Daily Press, 17 Jan 08
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Jean-Paul Boissonneault owes his life to a complete stranger.
Boissonneault was fast asleep Wednesday morning when a loud bang on his door roused him from his slumber. Then, faster than he can even recall, a man was in his apartment yelling at him to get dressed because the building was on fire.
"I woke up to a loud banging on my door and some random civilian telling me I had to get out of the house quick," a visibly shaken Boissonneault told The Daily Press while watching more than 40 firefighters battle the blaze that claimed his home.
"He grabbed my dog, told me to get dressed and get out fast, because the house is on fire. I got out as soon as I could and he was nice enough to let me and my dog stay in his car."
Boissonneault and his girlfriend, Jessica Greenbury, were residents of one of four apartments in the building. Having moved in Dec. 1, 2007, everything they owned is now lost.
"Everything we own was in there," Greenbury said.
As the parents of five-month-old boy, they said they are lucky their child was visiting his grandmother at the time of the fire.
"We're really thankful for that one," Boissonneault said.
It was the selfless act of Sudbury resident Spencer Curry that will allow Boissonneault to continue enjoying the company of his girlfriend and his child.
Curry is a reservist who has spent the last 12 years training for such situations. He even volunteered to serve in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2006, where he was stationed with the Second Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada.
"Kandahar was a real eye-opener, a real culture shock and I can't believe people live like that - it's pretty scary," Curry said in a phone interview with The Daily Press.
It was fate that brought him to doorstep of Boissonneault.
"I was in Timmins for a job interview," he said.
With his parents living in South Porcupine, Curry drove to Timmins to get his morning coffee. On his way back, he chose to use the back road. Driving through Schumacher, he noticed all the smoke.
"I was curious," he said. "When I got to the building, there was a man standing out front who I think lived there. I asked him if there was anyone in there, but I think he was in shock."
That's when his military training kicked in. Without hesitation, Curry ran into the building to see if anyone was still inside.
"He grabbed my dog, told me to get dressed and get out fast, because the house is on fire."
Jean-Paul Boissonneault
"It was automatic," he said. "As a reservist, we are trained to pull fellow soldiers out of burning vehicles, but this was different."
When he got to Boissonneault's apartment, he said he started banging on the door. It opened a bit and he noticed a dog standing in what he described as a porch-like area with another door that opened into the apartment.
"I started hammering on that door, and when there was no answer, I opened it," he said.
"Right away, I saw a baby carriage so I started checking to see if anyone was there. To me, it didn't look like anyone was there, but the first room I came to there was a guy just waking up. He was startled, but quickly clued in."
It was around 10 a.m. that the Timmins Fire Department received the call and it took the efforts of some 40 firefighters the rest of the day to knock the blaze down. Fire chief Mike Pintar said the origin of the fire lies with the garage, however, the cause has yet to be determined.
"This house had all sawdust insulation right through from the walls to the roof - everything. It was a very tough fire to fight."
The building was completely torn down Wednesday.
For Boissonneault, he has nothing but sincere thanks for Curry.
"Who knows what could have happened had he not come along. It just goes to show that even if you're not serving in the war, you're still helping other people."
Reservist rescues sleeping man from burning home
Aaron Pickard, Timmins Daily Press, 17 Jan 08
Article link
Jean-Paul Boissonneault owes his life to a complete stranger.
Boissonneault was fast asleep Wednesday morning when a loud bang on his door roused him from his slumber. Then, faster than he can even recall, a man was in his apartment yelling at him to get dressed because the building was on fire.
"I woke up to a loud banging on my door and some random civilian telling me I had to get out of the house quick," a visibly shaken Boissonneault told The Daily Press while watching more than 40 firefighters battle the blaze that claimed his home.
"He grabbed my dog, told me to get dressed and get out fast, because the house is on fire. I got out as soon as I could and he was nice enough to let me and my dog stay in his car."
Boissonneault and his girlfriend, Jessica Greenbury, were residents of one of four apartments in the building. Having moved in Dec. 1, 2007, everything they owned is now lost.
"Everything we own was in there," Greenbury said.
As the parents of five-month-old boy, they said they are lucky their child was visiting his grandmother at the time of the fire.
"We're really thankful for that one," Boissonneault said.
It was the selfless act of Sudbury resident Spencer Curry that will allow Boissonneault to continue enjoying the company of his girlfriend and his child.
Curry is a reservist who has spent the last 12 years training for such situations. He even volunteered to serve in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2006, where he was stationed with the Second Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada.
"Kandahar was a real eye-opener, a real culture shock and I can't believe people live like that - it's pretty scary," Curry said in a phone interview with The Daily Press.
It was fate that brought him to doorstep of Boissonneault.
"I was in Timmins for a job interview," he said.
With his parents living in South Porcupine, Curry drove to Timmins to get his morning coffee. On his way back, he chose to use the back road. Driving through Schumacher, he noticed all the smoke.
"I was curious," he said. "When I got to the building, there was a man standing out front who I think lived there. I asked him if there was anyone in there, but I think he was in shock."
That's when his military training kicked in. Without hesitation, Curry ran into the building to see if anyone was still inside.
"He grabbed my dog, told me to get dressed and get out fast, because the house is on fire."
Jean-Paul Boissonneault
"It was automatic," he said. "As a reservist, we are trained to pull fellow soldiers out of burning vehicles, but this was different."
When he got to Boissonneault's apartment, he said he started banging on the door. It opened a bit and he noticed a dog standing in what he described as a porch-like area with another door that opened into the apartment.
"I started hammering on that door, and when there was no answer, I opened it," he said.
"Right away, I saw a baby carriage so I started checking to see if anyone was there. To me, it didn't look like anyone was there, but the first room I came to there was a guy just waking up. He was startled, but quickly clued in."
It was around 10 a.m. that the Timmins Fire Department received the call and it took the efforts of some 40 firefighters the rest of the day to knock the blaze down. Fire chief Mike Pintar said the origin of the fire lies with the garage, however, the cause has yet to be determined.
"This house had all sawdust insulation right through from the walls to the roof - everything. It was a very tough fire to fight."
The building was completely torn down Wednesday.
For Boissonneault, he has nothing but sincere thanks for Curry.
"Who knows what could have happened had he not come along. It just goes to show that even if you're not serving in the war, you're still helping other people."
