Sam Heiler, a resident of Arizona, demonstrated exceptional bravery when he rescued two young girls from a burning car just moments before it exploded. The incident occurred while he and his wife were en route to a Memorial Day Weekend getaway on a secluded highway in Navajo County.
Travelling behind another vehicle, they were suddenly confronted with a terrifying sight—the engine of the car ahead burst into flames, prompting it to pull over urgently. However, the situation quickly turned dire after the parents of the two toddlers in the vehicle exited the vehicle and closed their door, which was when the car doors automatically locked behind them, leaving their toddlers trapped in the back seat.
Heiler vividly described the frantic scene as the desperate parents, driven by sheer panic, screamed and pounded their bare hands on the windows in a desperate attempt to save their daughters. The clock was ticking, with only a precious few seconds remaining before the fire would engulf the entire car.
Heiler recounted the intensity of the situation, saying, “They had about 20 more seconds until the fire spread from the engine block to the cab. The girls were screaming, the parents were screaming, my wife was screaming — it was bad,” as reported by the New York Post.
Realizing the urgent need for action, Heiler swiftly sprang into motion. He grabbed a rock from the roadside and hurled it forcefully at the front window, shattering the glass and creating an opening through which the doors could be unlocked from the inside. With Heiler’s guidance, the parents swiftly extricated their terrified children from the blazing vehicle.
Seeking safety, they all sought refuge in the Heilers’ car, which was thoughtfully parked 30 feet away. As they distanced themselves from the vehicle, its engulfed form succumbed to a fiery explosion, serving as a chilling testament to the grave danger they had narrowly escaped.
In the aftermath of the explosion, the Heilers discovered that, to their dismay, there was no cell phone reception in the area, leaving them with no means to summon immediate help. Yet, undeterred by this setback, Sam utilized a glowstick from their own vehicle to flag down another driver.
Displaying remarkable resourcefulness, he asked the occupants of the passing vehicle to contact emergency services once they regained phone service, which was approximately 25 miles ahead. The local reservation police eventually arrived at the scene, providing much-needed assistance.
Reflecting on the events, Melissa Heiler revealed that her husband’s initial inclination was to continue driving past the stranded vehicle, but an unexplainable force compelled him to halt and extend a helping hand. She expressed her conviction that divine intervention played a significant role, firmly believing that some higher power guided them to be in the right place at the right time to aid those in desperate need.
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