Nearby firefighter spots car smoking with kids inside, calls for quick help
BVFD photo Bakersfield Fire Chief Greg Watts inspects what remains of a 2011 Dodge Citadel after the vehicle caught fire parked at Century Bank’s Bakersfield location last Friday, July 11.
Bakersfield firefighter Luke Croney’s quick actions last Friday afternoon likely kept a bad situation from becoming a whole lot worse. Croney said he had stopped in at Evan’s Kwik Stop, across Highway 101 from Century Bank of the Ozarks, before heading to work that morning.
“I was just killing time, visiting with my girlfriend who works there. I got something to drink, and as I was leaving to go to work, I watched a vehicle pull up at the bank with black smoke just roaring out from underneath the hood,” Croney told the Times.
He quickly tried to dial 911, but he was in a dead zone without reception. So, he pulled out his VFD radio and notified his fellow firefighters and the OCSD dispatcher of the emergency that way.
The vehicle, a 2011 Dodge Citadel, was being driven by Bakersfield resident Rilee Edelen, who had her two toddlers and infant strapped into the back seat. Spotting the smoke at around the same time as Croney, Rilee worked to unbuckle the three young kids and safely pull them from the burning car, which stood about 10-15 feet away from the bank’s outer wall.
“I immediately left to go get the [fire]truck. Zach Fowler had heard my initial radio [call], and he only lives a few minutes away from there. So, by the time I got back, he was already there,” Croney said. “I kicked the pumper in, and he started spraying.”
Bakersfield resident Monica Summers helped by moving the children to her nearby car, safely away from the flames. The burning car was quickly extinguished; however, the melted siding on Century Bank’s entrance shows just how close the situation came to being a bigger tragedy.
“It really was just being at the right place at the right time,” Croney said. “If someone wouldn’t have been there, it probably would have been more than just a car fire. The bank would have probably caught fire too.”
Rilee and her husband Westin have already endured a lot of loss this year, losing their home in the March 14 tornado that tore through Bakersfield. Croney and the other firefighters were thankful for the Edelen family’s safe escape, but say they hate that they lost their vehicle. “It’s just been a really hard year on them,” Croney said.