VIDEO: Terrifying moments unfolded for a Uintah County volunteer firefighter who suddenly found himself on fire while battling an early-season wildfire last month. Kyle Allred said he believes it’s a miracle he survived.
The incident happened on March 17 just outside Roosevelt in Fort Duchesne, as crews with the Lapoint-Tridell Fire Department were working to contain a blaze using controlled burns. During the effort, conditions quickly turned dangerous when winds shifted unexpectedly. Allred ran uphill to escape the fire but fell before reaching safety. “I started running as quick as I could and got almost to the top. And then I slipped and fell,” he said.
That fall proved critical. Flames caught his lower body. “From my belt down to the middle of my thigh was on fire,” Allred said. “It was terrifying.” As he lay on the ground, unable to get up, he feared the worst. “I just had that feeling for a split second that I was going to die. There was no way I was going to get up,” he said. In that moment, Allred said something changed. “The thought that God put in my mind was, ‘Get home to your wife and kids,’” he said.
