Heroic security guard saves residents during Kenneth City apartment fire
KENNETH CITY, Fla. March 16, 2022 A two-alarm fire ripped through the Ashford Bayside Apartments in Kenneth City on March 3.
Now new video shows the heroism of a security guard and residents of the apartment complex to save dozens of residents.
Just after 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday night at the Ashford Bayside Apartments in Kenneth City, a resident screams “FIRE”.
Security Guard Corey Palmer was on patrol when he heard a resident scream “Fire” in the dramatic body camera video.
The resident shouts back it’s on the third floor as Palmer breaks the glass for a fire extinguisher, tells the resident to call 911 as he rushes to the third floor.
Palmer attempted to put the fire out, but it was already too large for the small fire extinguisher and began to spread quickly.
“Once I got to the third floor, I attempted to put the fire out but once I realized it was a little too big for said fire extinguisher I decided to just continue getting people out of the building,” said Palmer.
He then rushed door to door, knocking and yelling for people to get out. One resident jumped into his car as debris from the fire rains down and Palmer shouts at other residents to get out.
“Once I realized the fire was too big, I went to go activate the fire alarm and after that, it didn’t matter which door I ran by, I just started knocking on doors,” said Palmer.
Other residents helped knock on doors and everyone manages to get out without injury, thanks to Palmer and other fast-acting residents. Palmer is modest about his actions.
“I just did what I was trained. My biggest thing was to observe, report, protect people’s lives, then property,” said Palmer.
Authorities said the Red Cross is assisting about fifty people who were displaced by the fire.
