A Comox man is being recognized after saving a life from last year’s gas station fire.
The fire took place on May 20, 2023 where a motor vehicle drove into a gas pump at the ESSO gas station.
According to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, an organization aiming to recognize acts of heroism, the driver of the vehicle was a 76-year-old woman.
” Inside the station, co-owner Junyi Liu, 41, of Comox, immediately turned off the electrical breakers to the gas pumps, but about 1 gallon of gas in the fuel pump hose also caught fire,” said the commission.
“Within seconds, the heat from the fire burned off the rubber nozzles on a nearby propane dispenser, spilling propane onto the woman’s vehicle, which accelerated the fire.”
They say that Liu ran out with a fire extinguisher, but after realizing it would not work, he ran to the car to reach the woman.
With the help of a bystander, Liu was able to carry her to safety, where both of them suffered only minor burns.
As a way to recognize his efforts, the commission is rewarding him the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, and a financial grant.
