Ferrum College News - Ferrum College Student Saves Couple After House Explosion

    Ferrum College student Yuji Hairston is being credited with saving an elderly couple in Rocky Mount, VA after their home exploded late last week. The homeowners, Robert and Mary Turner, were trapped inside their burning home. Hairston, who lives nearby, said “I heard the explosion and thought ‘someone needs to help.’ Then I thought, ‘I can help.’ So I did.”

    Hairston, a junior double majoring in Biology and Chemistry at Ferrum College, is no stranger to dangerous situations. He spent 8 years in the Marine Corps and in 2005 served 7-months in Iraq. He says the risk of going inside a burning building never crossed his mind. He says his training with the military’s Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) taught him how to navigate his way around the smoke-filled home to find those inside. He found Mary Turner on the floor of the bedroom. Hairston, who has long hair, said “She took one look at me with my big hair and beard and was terrified. I had to calm her down and explain that I was there to help. It took some coaxing, but I was finally able to get her to safety.”

    Hairston says he then heard Robert Turner’s yells coming from the basement of the home, where the fire is believed to have originated. He could see the flames from the basement windows and ran to the back of the home where he yelled for Robert. He says when he saw Robert, he kicked a door down to get to him. “It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.” Hairston explained. “He literally walked through the flames toward me when I yelled for him.”

The home, located on High Street in Rocky Mount, exploded early on Friday morning and is a complete loss. Police are still investigating the cause, but they believe a propane heater in the basement was to blame.

Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.

Ferrum College Student Saves Couple After House Explosion View a Video Clip from Channel 7
For immediate release: November 1, 2007	Contact: Natalie Faunce, (540) 365-4301 nfaunce@ferrum.edu
Ferrum College student Yuji Hairston is being credited with saving an elderly couple in Rocky Mount, VA after their home exploded late last week. The homeowners, Robert and Mary Turner, were trapped inside their burning home. Hairston, who lives nearby, said “I heard the explosion and thought ‘someone needs to help.’ Then I thought, ‘I can help.’ So I did.” Hairston, a junior double majoring in Biology and Chemistry at Ferrum College, is no stranger to dangerous situations. He spent 8 years in the Marine Corps and in 2005 served 7-months in Iraq. He says the risk of going inside a burning building never crossed his mind. He says his training with the military’s Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) taught him how to navigate his way around the smoke-filled home to find those inside. He found Mary Turner on the floor of the bedroom. Hairston, who has long hair, said “She took one look at me with my big hair and beard and was terrified. I had to calm her down and explain that I was there to help. It took some coaxing, but I was finally able to get her to safety.” Hairston says he then heard Robert Turner’s yells coming from the basement of the home, where the fire is believed to have originated. He could see the flames from the basement windows and ran to the back of the home where he yelled for Robert. He says when he saw Robert, he kicked a door down to get to him. “It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.” Hairston explained. “He literally walked through the flames toward me when I yelled for him.” The home, located on High Street in Rocky Mount, exploded early on Friday morning and is a complete loss. Police are still investigating the cause, but they believe a propane heater in the basement was to blame. Ferrum College is a four-year, private, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Ferrum offers a choice of nationally recognized bachelor’s degree programs at a cost well below the national average for private colleges. For more information on Ferrum, visit www.ferrum.edu.
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