ORLANDO, Fla. – A car caught on fire with a woman trapped inside, and a responding firefighter from the Orlando Fire Department removed his mask and air pack, giving it to the woman, who was just seconds away from not being able to breathe.
That firefighter is Lieutenant Bassel Ibrahim, who told News 6, “I truly believe that if we were literally 30 seconds delayed that the young lady would not have made it.”
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The crash happened near the intersection of Narcoosee Road and Northlake Parkway early Tuesday morning.
A lieutenant overnight told News 6 the woman was a passenger in the car, and that she told investigators they were racing before the crash.
Orlando Fire said the woman was heavily entrapped, and that there were so many flames causing heavy smoke and making it hard to breathe.
“She was literally gasping for air, sucking in all that smoke,” said Ibrahim.
He said they were able to break the rear window of the car to reach the woman, and that’s when he removed his mask and air pack, putting it on her, and, ultimately, saving her life.
“This is not about me, or any of my crew members, it’s about the people we serve,” said the humble firefighter. “I truly believe that all of us would’ve done the exact same thing.”
Orlando Fire said the woman was airlifted to the hospital but is expected to be OK.
Police told News 6, at this point the driver will not be facing charges because no one was there to witness the crash and what led up to it.