Colorado Springs man scales 3-story building to help man suffering asthma attack during fire

The fire started at the Woodland Hills complex just before 7:30 p.m., displacing eight people and five pets. One man jumped in to help a neighbor in trouble.
Published: Mar. 19, 2023 at 12:42 PM MDT|Updated: Mar. 19, 2023 at 12:46 PM MDT

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A man scaled three stories to save a neighbor suffering an asthma attack during a fire Saturday night.

“We saw the fire going on and noticed a guy on the third floor was having a hard time breathing. He had an inhaler in his hand, couldn’t even stand up” said Dewey Parker. “Somebody else told the EMTs and they went up -- but the door was locked.”

Parker says the man was all alone in his apartment.

“He needed a hand. ... I just decided to scale up to the third floor off the balconies and unlocked the door for [the EMTs]. I just figured if that was me, I would hope someone would have done the same thing.”

“It was scary, though,” Parker went on. “I figured if my hand slipped, they’re going to have to be helping me.”

The man was in a building adjacent to the one that was on fire, which became involved after smoke from the affected building ballooned out to surrounding structures.

“When [firefighters] showed up, there was still smoke billowing out of the first floor [of the original building,” said Lt. Chris Weaver with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. “The fire actually started inside of a chimney and then got outside of the fire box and then it moved vertically from the first floor to the second floor and involved that second floor.”

From there, it drifted towards other buildings, Weaver told 11 News, triggering the man’s asthma attack.

Firefighters had actually been returning from another call when the radio buzzed that there was a fire at the Woodland Hills Apartments off Woodmen and Union.

“When that call was dispatched, the company was driving up Union Boulevard,” Weaver said. “Heard the call come in, and since they were within a couple of blocks, got here within a two-minute response time.”

Firefighters had the blaze knocked down within minutes. Two apartment units total were affected, displacing eight people and five animals.

No injuries were reported outside the man with the asthma attack, and in no small part thanks to Parker’s heroics, will be okay.

“I’m glad I was here and was able to help,” Parker told 11 News.

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