Severely burned fireman credited with saving fellow responder's life

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ARIMO, Idaho — The Downey firefighter who was severely burned when his fire truck became engulfed by flames earlier this week suffered those injuries while saving the life of another fireman.

Melissa Winward, the wife of Downey firefighter Kent Winward, revealed Thursday that fireman Matt Henderson saved her husband.

Both firefighters suffered serious burns Monday during a wildfire near Arimo when a gasoline can fell off their fire truck and was then run over by the vehicle, igniting a fast-moving fire that quickly destroyed the truck.

Melissa said that if Henderson hadn’t realized what was happening and pulled Kent off the truck, she believes Kent would have died.

“That’s absolutely true,” Melissa said when asked if Henderson saved Kent’s life.

Henderson suffered severe burns to 30 to 40 percent of his body while Kent suffered less severe burns. They’re expected to survive, but the road to recovery will be long, especially for Henderson.

A ground ambulance initially transported both men to Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, but because of the extent of their injuries, they were soon airlifted to the University of Utah Intermountain Burn Center in Salt Lake City. Henderson is listed in critical condition at the burn center while Kent is listed in fair condition.

It’s unknown if the fire truck caught fire after stalling out on an uphill slope at the wildfire scene on South Marsh Valley Road or if the driver of the vehicle, fireman Brandon Call, was attempting to reverse enough for a second try at climbing the hillside. What is known is that the can full of gasoline somehow fell off the side of the fire truck and was then run over by the vehicle, igniting the fire. The gasoline was needed to operate the truck’s water pump.

Call suffered a sprained ankle when he jumped from the cab of the burning five-ton fire engine. Henderson and Kent were on top of the fire truck when it started to burn.

Melissa Winward said Kent fractured his ankle in several places and has burns to his head and face.

Jeff Gosar, Henderson’s brother-in-law, said that Henderson has second- and third-degree burns to much of his body and minor fractures along his neck and back.

“Matt (Henderson) has been in and out of consciousness for the last few days,” Gosar said. “He has been agitated because of the pain and because he has a bunch of tubes and cables attached to him that are preventing him from moving around much.”

Gosar said that it will take about a month to complete the necessary skin grafts for Henderson and from there the road to recovery for the firefighter will take at least a year.

“Right now, Matt is unrecognizable because of all the swelling in his face,” Gosar said.

Kent Winward has started physical therapy at the burn center, but Melissa said he’s experiencing a lot of emotional anguish over the freak accident that destroyed the fire truck and nearly killed him. She said the all-volunteer Downey Fire Department is a very close-knit group and having three of the department’s firefighters injured has been traumatizing to everyone.

“They have known each other and worked together for so long,” Melissa said. “That, and the community out here is really close. I know that Kent is really concerned for Matt and the other guys that helped when it happened.”

Aside from their volunteer firefighter positions, Henderson who lives in Swanlake and works for the city of Downey and Kent who lives in Downey operate a local cattle ranch together.

Melissa said the investigation into the incident revealed the firefighters did everything they could to prevent it from happening. She said the gas can falling off the truck really was a “freak accident.”

A GoFundMe.com campaign has been launched to help raise money for the Henderson family with both Henderson and his wife Jessica expected to miss significant time from work as he recovers from his severe burns.

Titled the “Matt Henderson Burn Recovery Fund,” the campaign can be accessed by visiting www.gofundme.com/matt-henderson-burn-recovery-fund*. As of Friday morning, almost $10,000 had been raised.

“We know that they are both going to be out of work for quite some time, especially Matt with the way that he received these injuries,” Gosar said. “We want them to be able to stay on their feet and they wanted to get started building a house this year and this is going to set those plans back.”

Gosar continued, “Matt is a first responder and we want to be able to help him through this trial.”

Further, Gosar said he is communicating with family and friends of the Winwards to set up fundraisers to help Kent out as well.

“There has been a huge outpouring of support already,” Gosar said. “The fire crews and local community members have been strongly supportive, wanting to visit Matt and Kent and doing all they can to help us out.”

Not only are the painful burns suffered by Henderson and Kent significant in terms of initial damage to the skin, but there could be complications from potential infections down the road that pose significant threats.

“Matt is extremely lucky,” Gosar said. “The burns to your external body are serious injuries, but you can die from disease and infections within days after the initial injury. And if Matt or Kent would have inhaled any of that super-heated gas, it could have very easily been a fatal fire.”

But for now both men are in perfect hands, according to Melissa who extended her extreme gratitude to the medical staff at the University of Utah burn center.

“I really appreciate all the work done by the staff at the burn center,” Melissa said. “They are comforting and experts at taking care of the patients and their families. This truly is a magical place.”

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.