Firefighters save Golden Gate Estates couple after fire surrounds home

Rescued with seconds to spare, a couple stood inside what was once a house on a lot surrounded by flames. As they inched closer, they didn’t know if they were going to make it. Their guardian angels rushed in and got them out safely.

We spoke to one of the firefighters who saved the lives of a husband and wife in Golden Gate Estates when it broke out Wednesday of the previous week.

A scary 911 call was made by a couple who almost did not make it out of the flames surrounding their home.

“We are surrounded by fire. One of the cars just blew up,” a caller said to dispatch during the recorded call.

Smoke was filling the couple’s home fast, and flames were blocking every entrance to their escape.

“The fire is everywhere,” the caller said. “Are they getting closer?”

The dispatcher said, “I know this is scary. We are right here with you … Do you have your doorways and everything blocked with towels?”

As the dispatcher on the line remained calm and helped the couple, rescuers were getting to them as fast as they could.

“When I turned down Woodland Grade Road, the fire was blowing across the road and blowing across the street,” said Corey Adamski, a fire marshal with Naples Fire-Rescue Department. “And I had to back my truck and wait for a lull in the fire to get into the driveway.”

Adamski says the flames almost stopped him multiple times.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it down the road,” Adamski said. “But, once I got there, we were going to work.”

Adamski and his partner struggled to find an entryway to the home.

“I tried one door, and the patio was on fire,” Adamski said. “And I tried the other door. And it wasn’t as much on fire, so that’s the one I tried to go into … I got to the door, and it was locked. I put a boot on the door and found both the husband and wife in the living room … I walked in the door and said. ‘It’s time to go.’”

Just in time, Adamski and his partner saved the couple from flames that took their home minutes later.

“Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time,” Adamski said. “Everyone came together and did a great job.”

The husband and wife are safe Thursday night.

Collier County Sheriff’s Office said, if it weren’t for the teamwork between the dispatchers and the emergency responders, the outcome could have been a lot different.

Firefighters say the the 36th Avenue SE fire in Golden Gate Estates is now 95% contained and remains at 8,250 acres. Firefighters are still checking for hot spots.