Re: JEFFERS, George R

["Brian Grant-Paul" <Brian_GrantPaul_uid1396@yahoogroup_ s.com>]

Halifax Herald
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Neighbour saves two lives, loses friend
Parrsboro man lauded as hero for pulling woman,
baby from fire

By TOM McCOAG / Amherst Bureau

PARRSBORO - Carl MacFarlane doesn't consider himself a hero,
but Parrsboro Deputy Fire Chief Greg Matthews says his actions
saved two lives when fire ripped through a mobile home in the
town Saturday night.

"The fire claimed one life, but without his quick action we
would have had three deaths," Deputy Chief Matthews said
Tuesday. "He is most definitely a hero. If he hadn't got them
out when he did, they would have been overcome by the smoke."

Killed in the fire was 62-year-old George Jeffers, a retired
military man. His 20-year-old daughter Sherry Hughes-Jeffers
and her seven-month-old daughter Jessica were plucked from
a bedroom moments before it was engulfed in flames.

"I just did what anyone else would have done," Mr. MacFarlane
said. "I feel terrible that I didn't get George out. He's
been a good neighbour these past 11 or 12 years. I talked
with him every day. Everyone here feels terrible that he
didn't get out."

Mr. MacFarlane's wife Dolores noticed the fire at their
neighbour's house at about 7:30 p.m.

"She hollered at me and when I looked out the window I
could see flames through the trailer's front window,"
he recalled.

As his wife called the fire department, Mr. MacFarlane
grabbed a flashlight and ran to his neighbour's.
He pounded and yelled at the front door.

"George opened it, but when he did flames burst out everywhere.
I yelled at him to get out. He yelled something back, but I
don't know what he said."

Instead of coming out, Mr. Jeffers ran back into the home
toward the bedroom where his daughter and granddaughter were.

"I thought he was going to the back door, but he never got
there. When I got to it, it was still locked. That's when
I heard his daughter banging on the window."

Mr. MacFarlane found a ladder nearby, set it up against
the home and climbed up. Using his hands he broke the
window to the bedroom where the woman and her baby
were trapped.

"Smoke just poured out of the room. I had my flashlight
but it was all I could do to see her face. I yelled at
her to pass me the baby."

Mr. MacFarlane hustled down the ladder and handed the
baby to another person. "I don't know who it was."

He climbed the ladder again, and the smoke thickened as
he frantically broke a bigger hole in the window.

"I grabbed (Ms. Hughes-Jeffers). It took me two or three
attempts before I could get her out. I pulled so hard the
last time that we both fell onto the ground. Fortunately
there was a lot of snow and we didn't really have far to
fall. Neither one of us was hurt."

Finding the ladder near the window was fortunate,
Mr. MacFarlane said.

"If the ladder hadn't been right there I don't think I
would have got either of them out. There just wasn't
time to go back to my house or over to the hospital to
get one. It was just only a minute or two after I got
them out that the bedroom burst into flames."

Ms. Hughes-Jeffers and her daughter were taken to the
Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre and released
the next afternoon.

Deputy Chief Matthews said the mobile home was engulfed
when firefighters arrived. They were on the scene for
about five hours.

"I've been with the fire department for 17 years and
this is the first fatal fire we've had in that time.
I can't remember when the last one was," he said.
"Everything that could burn in that trailer did.
It was totally destroyed."

He was unsure whether the 30-year-old mobile home had
smoke detectors.

Mr. Jeffers's body was found at the back of the home
near the bathroom. His funeral was slated for today.

The cause of the fire was unknown. Police and Deputy
Fire Marshal Robert Orr were to examine the ruins today.