May 09, 2012

Page 1

Big North

FREE PRESS MAY 2012

Je s s e C ODY / Sp e cia l to th e Fre e Pre s s

Survivors of the Lakeland Mills fire gather outside after the explosion hit the sawmill on April 23. The workers were sent into a triage centre to get looked at where Jesse Cody, who took this photo, assisted in recovery efforts.

■ LAKELAND MILLS FIRE

Good Samaritan rushed in ALISTAIR MCINNIS sports@pgfreepress.com

Personal experiences surrounding the Lakeland Mills explosion and fire April 23 in Prince George have been similar in nature to other workplace tragedies. Uplifting stories of strength and courage, sombre tales of heartbreak and defeat. No doubt in shock after the initial explosion hit at the sawmill at approximately 9:40 p.m., workers had little time to react as the fire quickly spread. Survivors did so while helping co-workers escape the blaze. The fire claimed the lives of two mill workers, Alan Little and Glenn Roche, and left several in serious condition.

Firefighters, police officers, paramedics and other emergency personnel put their lives at risk in dealing with the disaster on site. Then there were the life savers at the University Hospital of Northern B.C., medical staff who responded to a Code Orange emergency to treat severely burnt victims. A compelling bravery story belongs to 28-year-old Jesse Cody. He didn’t face the catastrophe at Lakeland Mills as an employee or a member of an emergency response team, instead a civilian trying to be a good Samaritan. Cody was in his car at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Central Street when the initial explosion rocked the downtown core. He had just left his house off the corner of Fifth Avenue and Moffat Street, and was on a night out to go watch a

movie at the theatre. Changing his plans was a split-second decision. “The whole sky lit right up and a massive cloud of fire went up in the sky, so when the light went green, I floored it straight to the mill and went by the security gate there,” he said. Cody described the light from the explosion as being so bright he could read a book. But that paled in comparison to what he saw on site. Cody recalled seeing victims burnt so severely that skin was drooping and coming off them, workers battling broken noses and cuts on their legs. “Those guys didn’t have faces left,” he said. “They had turn to PAGE A3

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May 09, 2012 by Black Press Media Group - Issuu