SEBRING, Fla. -- Staff at an animal hospital trying to save animals from massive warehouse fire bravely helped the worker who narrowly escaped death.
"We heard a loud boom," said Chris O'Sullivan. "There was already flames coming out of the building."
O'Sullivan's business, Oak Hammock Animal Hospital, had to be evacuated during Monday's massive warehouse fire in Sebring.
As staff worked to bring three dogs to safety, a man with severe burns stumbled into the parking lot.
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“He was still coherent. We asked him if he was OK. You know, obviously in his state, any answer was a good answer," O'Sullivan said.
Wayne McCall, 43, was the only Kosan Crisplant employee inside at the time of the fire. On Tuesday, an executive with the propane facility praised McCall's quick-thinking, saying he potentially saved lives by turning an emergency shut-off valve.
"He is my friend and I can’t wait to give him a hug," said Doug Mann with Kosan Crisplant. “I just wanted to tell him I was thinking about him and if there’s anything we can do, I’m in town... I’ll do whatever I can do.”
McCall suffered several severe burns on his hands, arms, and legs. He's recovering at Tampa General Hospital.
