Thousands have been fleeing the devastating California wildfires over the past few weeks. While most people are doing everything to get away from the fire, this nurse is selflessly running towards the flames to save others.
Registered nurse Allyn Pierce is the manager of the I.C.U. department at the Feather River Hospital in Paradise, California, so he is used to dealing with emergency situations. Like everyone else in Paradise, he was forced to evacuate the area when the fires got close.
Allyn’s home was completely destroyed by the fire, which has killed 42 people at the time of this writing. As Allyn fled in his Toyota Tundra with his colleagues, he hit a traffic jam and watched in horror as cars around him burst into flames. Thinking he might be near death, Allyn told a reporter, “Just in case this doesn’t work out, I want you to know I really tried to make it out.”
Just as the flames were about to engulf Allyn’s car, a bulldozer appeared and shoved a burning vehicle out of the way, giving the nurse a path to safety. Instead of taking this path, however, Allyn turned his truck around and drove into the inferno. His car was literally melting around him because of the intense heat, but Allyn knew that there were people back in Paradise who needed his help.
Allyn made it to the Adventist Health facility, where people were gathering after fleeing their homes. Finding 25 people there who needed help, Allyn and his colleagues leapt to action.
“Now all of us are like, ‘Oh, this is what we do,’” he recalled. “We’re terrible at burning to death, but we’re amazing at taking care of people.”
Allyn and his team started a triage center in the parking lot, breaking into the hospital to get supplies. When the hospital finally caught on fire, the nurses moved their patients to the hospital’s helipad and continued to work.
“This is what we do,” Allyn said. “Any nurse, any healthcare worker, any cop, they were there and they all did their jobs.”
Then the hospital caught fire. The team quickly relocated the patients 100 yards away to the hospital’s helipad. Eventually authorities cleared a path to safety, so they loaded up the victims & drove out in a caravan. Everyone made it out safely.
Photo: Jim Wilson/NYT @jwnyt pic.twitter.com/9aaX6c7HSc
— Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) November 13, 2018
Rescue workers finally made it to the hospital and got everyone to safety. Allyn and his nurse then jumped back in his tundra and headed for safety themselves.
“This truck literally saved my life today,” Allyn wrote on Instagram afterwards. “My little town of Paradise was literally burning down around me and [my truck] got me to safety where I could help others…twice.”
When Toyota heard Allyn’s story, they offered to give him a new truck for free!
“We are humbled you’d risk your life and Toyota Tundra to drive people to safety,” Toyota USA said. “Don’t worry about your truck, we’re honored to get you a new one!”
God bless Allyn and his fellow nurses for putting their lives on the line to save others!
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