Junyi Liu rescued a woman from burning, Comox, British Columbia, May 20, 2023. As the woman, 76, pulled into a gas station carport, her car struck a gas pump, shearing it off and ignited a gasoline fire. Within seconds, the heat from the fire burned off the rubber nozzles on a nearby propane dispenser, which then began spraying the car with propane, accelerating the fire. As flames quickly reached 10 feet high and the car’s front end began to burn, gas station manager and co-owner Liu, 41, ran out with a fire extinguisher to try to fight the blaze, but he could not get the extinguisher to work. He then ran to the car and opened the front, passenger door to try to pull the woman out but could not reach her. As a bystander sprinted up to try to help, Liu ran to the driver’s side, nearest the flames, just as the woman began opening the driver’s door. With flames reaching the ceiling of the carport, Liu pushed open the door the rest of the way, reached in, picked up the woman and carried her to safety. Within 10 seconds, flames engulfed the entire building. The woman was in shock at the scene and suffered minor burns to her face but recovered. Liu suffered minor burns to his hand and arm.
10412-Carnegie Hero Fund Articles
External Articles
- Comox man receives heroism award for saving woman from burning vehicle
- Comox man who pulled woman from burning car praised for heroic actions
- B.C. man awarded ‘highest honour for civilian heroism in North America’
- Man who performed heroic act in Esso fire gets recognized
- Comox Man Among 17 Recognized By Carnegie Hero Fund