The man was pulled from the fire three days after moving into the home.
BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A Buckeye father is fighting for his life after narrowly escaping a mobile home fire last Tuesday morning.
Firefighters pulled Tyler Whitchurch, 34, from his home three days after he moved in.
“The definition of a tragedy is what is happening to him now without a doubt,” Mat York, Whitchurch’s stepfather, said. “He’s an amazing individual. He’s a great soul. This shouldn’t happen to anybody.”
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The Buckeye Fire Department responded to the home around 1:15 a.m. on April 1 after a neighbor reported smelling smoke.
“Black smoke everywhere. You can see where the firemen went in and did everything they can to release the smoke by knocking out windows and letting the smoke out,” York said.
York said firefighters found Whitchurch unconscious on the floor from smoke inhalation and carried him out. He’s now on a ventilator as doctors try to reduce the swelling in his throat and remove soot from his lungs.
“They’re doing everything they can. He’s in really good hands,” his sister Morgan Luevano said.
Luevano said she thinks her brother was trying to save his pet tortoise named Bowzer.
“He was awake for a couple minutes the other night and he asked about his tortoise. That’s the first thing he asked about. So that leads us to think, and I know my brother, like that’s the first thing he would grab,” Luevano said.
Family said they also suspect it was Bowzer’s habitat that may have started the fire.
“We know it probably originated from the tortoise. He had the heat lamps. So, we don’t know if it was faulty wiring. It’s still under investigation,” York said.
The fire comes nearly five months after Whitchurch’s brother was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident. The two incidents have given this family a new outlook on life.
“It just puts a whole new perspective on family and friends, those reaching out you,” York said.
Whitchurch’s recovery is far from over. His family is leaning on that support during this time.
“This is going to be the toughest part because you look up ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome). It’s nothing positive but they said he’s a fighter and he’s strong,” York said.
A GoFundMe page was created to help the family replace items destroyed in the fire. Click here to donate.
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The post Arizona man fighting for life after fire destroys his home appeared first on World Online.
