The only way out is through.
Heartbreaking point-of-view footage captured the moment a Washington state lawmaker narrowly escaped last month’s deadly wildfire by driving straight “through hell on earth.”
The dramatic scene unfolded on August 18 when Spokane County Deputy Brittan Morgan had been advising residents to evacuate the Oregon Road area as the inferno moved toward them.
He was trying to convince a headstrong man to get on his squad car when he realized he was running out of time to save himself.
In the chaos, Morgan forgot to turn off his body camera, offering a chance to see his determination to escape the “devastating and extraordinarily fast-moving wildfire,” the department said in a Facebook post Thursday that included the dramatic video.
“You won’t see me today, you son of a bitch!” Morgan can be heard screaming as he desperately follows his fellow helper’s flashing lights through the thick smoke.
“Eat my fucking hairy ass, fire!”
Through the patrol car’s windshield, flames and sparks can be seen licking Morgan’s patrol car.
Deputy Brittan Morgan drove straight through an intense inferno in a desperate attempt to reach safety. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
Bright yellow flames illuminated Morgan’s path as they incinerated bushes and climbed trees along the densely forested path.
“I don’t want to die in this!” Morgan screamed in the censored video.
In a poignant moment, both Morgan and his partner stopped their cars for an unknown reason before making the final push toward the safety of the forest that had yet to be touched by the flames.
“Holy shit, that was fucking scary,” Morgan said.
The bright flames can be seen licking the car and consuming trees along the heavily wooded road. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
The sheriff’s office acknowledged that Morgan had no idea the camera was still rolling, but wanted to share the officer’s determination to escape the terrifying moment.
Despite being baffled by the near-death experience, the agent immediately began leading people away from the inferno, which was still advancing at a terrifying pace.
He returned several people to safety and yelled at some of them that they did not understand the severity of the fire.
“He’s headed straight for us, man, I was right there,” Morgan yelled at a man who insisted he could get past.
“Unless you want to die!”
The man at the beginning of the footage who refused to get on the police car ultimately survived the terrifying hell. Spokane County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
Morgan’s aggressive tone changed instantly when he noticed another driver pulling up next to his patrol car: the man who refused to get into the police vehicle before the officer made his way through the fire.
Morgan repeatedly expressed his gratitude that the stranger survived the apocalyptic hell.
“This is just one story of bravery and courage from the Oregon Road Fire,” the Spokane Sheriff’s Office said.
One person died in the fire, which destroyed at least 120 homes and several other outbuildings while ripping through 10,817 acres, though officials anticipate the numbers will rise as they continue their assessments.
A second person died in another fire in the nearby town of Medical Lake on the same day. The so-called Gray Fire burned approximately 10,085 acres and destroyed more than 200 homes.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn