Kent is my friend and I really knew him since he was a little kid in Manchester, NH. He did amazing job saving his whole family from the fire. I pray for his mom, hoping she get well soon. He should be a hero saving his mom, and should be honored. Here the article from Union Leader:
UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news, business and sports - Woman burned in morning blaze - Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009
MANCHESTER – A deaf man carried his infant daughter to safety this morning when a fire broke out in an Elmwood Gardens apartment and then ran back inside the burning building to pull out his disabled mother who was hooked up to an oxygen tank that exploded.
His mother, Marlen Clark, 57, is hospitalized at Brigham's and Women's Hospital in Boston. Family members say she suffered second and third degree burns to her face and arms -- about 20 percent of her body -- and is in critical condition. However, doctors have told them her injuries are recoverable.
Smoke alarms sounded when the blaze broke out about 4:30 a.m. at 57 Trahan St. Kent Clark, who is deaf and mute, and his fiancee, Crystal Torres, who is also hearing impaired, could not hear them.
Clark, with his cousins, Tina Gallagher of Weare and Penny Demiles, and friend Walter Buckley interpreting, said what woke him was the heavy smoke choking him.
Immediately realizing the danger, Clark woke Torres and grabbed their four-month-old daughter, Maliyah Jaylyn Clark, placing a blanket over her face to protect her from the smoke. All three ran outside.
However, his mother, who is disabled and on oxygen, was still in the burning home. Clark ran back inside where he found his mother unconscious, still connected to an oxygen tank that exploded. He disconnected the tank, grabbed his mother and then punched out a window to get both of them outside to safety.
Clark, who said he was "flying," tried a third time to go back into the building to rescue some birds but flames prevented him. The birds perished in the blaze.
He also tried to alert the upstairs neighbors to the fire but the family of Sadit Eusw had already been awakened by the smoke alarms. He and his wife, Bakhida Lado. gathered up their seven children and got everyone out. None of them was injured but their apartment is heavily damaged.
The Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority is relocating the large family to another unit and the Red Cross is assisting the fire victims.
Clark, Torres and the baby were all taken by ambulance to the Elliot Hospital to be checked out. Torres and the baby were fine but Clark's carbon monoxide levels were high from the smoke. He was kept at the hospital for four hours until they leveled off.
One firefighter also was cut and taken to the hospital where he had stitches to close the wound, according to Fire Chief James Burkush.
Burkush said the fire started in the living room where a mattress was destroyed and remnants of an oxygen generating system and three cylinders were found. Marlen Clark's bed was in the living room, her nieces said.
Gallagher and Demiles said a cigarette is believed to have started the fire. Burkush confirmed this afternoon that the fire was caused by improper disposal of smoking materials.
They said Clark and Torres do not live at the apartment. They were there last night, visiting his mother and doing their laundry, when they fell asleep.
If not for that, they said, Marlen Clark would be dead.
Everything in the apartment was destroyed, including Clark and Torres' laundry. His concern, however, was for his mother and the family was headed to Boston to see how she is doing.
"I want someone to help my mom get a new apartment and everything please," he said before leaving.
UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news, business and sports - Woman burned in morning blaze - Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009
MANCHESTER – A deaf man carried his infant daughter to safety this morning when a fire broke out in an Elmwood Gardens apartment and then ran back inside the burning building to pull out his disabled mother who was hooked up to an oxygen tank that exploded.
His mother, Marlen Clark, 57, is hospitalized at Brigham's and Women's Hospital in Boston. Family members say she suffered second and third degree burns to her face and arms -- about 20 percent of her body -- and is in critical condition. However, doctors have told them her injuries are recoverable.
Smoke alarms sounded when the blaze broke out about 4:30 a.m. at 57 Trahan St. Kent Clark, who is deaf and mute, and his fiancee, Crystal Torres, who is also hearing impaired, could not hear them.
Clark, with his cousins, Tina Gallagher of Weare and Penny Demiles, and friend Walter Buckley interpreting, said what woke him was the heavy smoke choking him.
Immediately realizing the danger, Clark woke Torres and grabbed their four-month-old daughter, Maliyah Jaylyn Clark, placing a blanket over her face to protect her from the smoke. All three ran outside.
However, his mother, who is disabled and on oxygen, was still in the burning home. Clark ran back inside where he found his mother unconscious, still connected to an oxygen tank that exploded. He disconnected the tank, grabbed his mother and then punched out a window to get both of them outside to safety.
Clark, who said he was "flying," tried a third time to go back into the building to rescue some birds but flames prevented him. The birds perished in the blaze.
He also tried to alert the upstairs neighbors to the fire but the family of Sadit Eusw had already been awakened by the smoke alarms. He and his wife, Bakhida Lado. gathered up their seven children and got everyone out. None of them was injured but their apartment is heavily damaged.
The Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority is relocating the large family to another unit and the Red Cross is assisting the fire victims.
Clark, Torres and the baby were all taken by ambulance to the Elliot Hospital to be checked out. Torres and the baby were fine but Clark's carbon monoxide levels were high from the smoke. He was kept at the hospital for four hours until they leveled off.
One firefighter also was cut and taken to the hospital where he had stitches to close the wound, according to Fire Chief James Burkush.
Burkush said the fire started in the living room where a mattress was destroyed and remnants of an oxygen generating system and three cylinders were found. Marlen Clark's bed was in the living room, her nieces said.
Gallagher and Demiles said a cigarette is believed to have started the fire. Burkush confirmed this afternoon that the fire was caused by improper disposal of smoking materials.
They said Clark and Torres do not live at the apartment. They were there last night, visiting his mother and doing their laundry, when they fell asleep.
If not for that, they said, Marlen Clark would be dead.
Everything in the apartment was destroyed, including Clark and Torres' laundry. His concern, however, was for his mother and the family was headed to Boston to see how she is doing.
"I want someone to help my mom get a new apartment and everything please," he said before leaving.
Prayers for him. I hope and pray that he can recover quickly, enough so that they see he's able to recover... My prayers go out to his family as well. I cannot imagine the pain they must feel right now. He's truly a hero.
