Brunswick County woman rescued from burning house thanks first responders
BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — Months after being saved from a burning house, a Brunswick County woman thanked some of the first responders whom she calls heroes.
For Elizabeth Long, just looking at the doorframe to the bonus room of her home is a trigger of that cold February evening when she became trapped in her burning house.
A fuse box exploded in the garage, and the fire quickly spread through the rest of the house.
“The room was filled with black smoke and I called 911 with my cell phone, I luckily had with me,” Long said. “And they told me to get on the floor and to wait, that the fire department would be there very soon. And I just kept saying “When? When are they going to be here? When are they going to be here?”
Firefighters with Sunset Harbor and Zion Hill Fire Department responded to the call.
Operations Captain James Skipper and firefighter Sam Smith were the two who retrieved her from the home.
Long suffered burns to more than 40 percent of her body.
Tuesday night, she was joined by her family and members of the UNC Jaycee Burn Center as they recognized the first responders who helped save her, including members of the Brunswick County 9-1-1 center, and Brunswick County EMS.
Tuesday was the first time she had met them face-to-face.
Skipper said he’s happy his colleagues also received recognition for what they did.
“I think they deserve it just as much as we do,” Skipper said. “If it wasn’t for the 911 center staying on the line with her, keeping her alive, fighting til we got there. To the paramedics that kept her alive til they got her to the landing zone where they flew her to the Jaycee Burn Center.”
Burn survivors from other previous fires also spoke about their experiences and gave thanks to all the first responders who helped them.
Trudy Evans knows firsthand what Long is going through, having suffered severe burns in a fire more than 20 years ago.
“We’re gonna always be together,” Evans said. “We will worry you to death, we’ll find you. Only because we can understand and relate and we love you. I know your family loves you and I just want you to be encouraged.”
Long said she is still dealing with the emotional trauma.
“I still am healing, mentally, from the fire. Physically, I can take care of that. I know what I have to do every day, but you know, mentally, its hard, it’s still hard.”
But she’s grateful for what all of these people did to help her.
“I respect each and every one of you. You get up every morning and go to work, not knowing what the day will bring. I appreciate every one of you, every single one of you.”
Elizabeth said she and her husband, David, will soon begin looking for a new home, as she continues to recover from her injuries.
