Durham firefighter says 'devil had a hold of me' during fight to survive intense house fire

A Durham firefighter says he can't believe he survived after he and another firefighter got trapped in a roof collapse.

On Thursday, he shared his story about his fight to survive after fighting a fire on South Bend Drive.

Fire alarms and the rush of a hose are a part of a typical day for many firefighters.

"We came in, we did our normal routine," said Durham firefighter Donald Dixon.

Last week, Dixon's crew got a call that people were stuck in this house, but they never even found who they were looking for.

"Sheet rock had fallen from the ceiling and blocked our exit way," Dixon said.

At that point, Dixon and his coworker were no longer fighting the fire, but fighting for their lives.

It still smelled like fire at the home on Thursday. The home was a loss. Dixon said no amount of training could have prepared him for that.

'I've got to get out," said Dixon of his thought process. "No matter what it takes, I've got to get out. If I don't, I'm gonna die. "You always picture the devil as fire. It felt like it. It felt like he had a hold of me, was grabbing at my legs."

His gear is now charred after catching on fire.

"Anybody that has looked at my gear, can't believe somebody survived it," Dixon said.

But he did.

Dixon said he does not remember much from the time of the collapse to the hospital. However, he said he does remember one of his coworkers dragging him from the home.

The words of a famous NC State basketball coach echoed in his mind.

"Something that Jim Valvano said, 'don't give up. don't ever give up.' I thought about that afterward. That's what I did. I didn't give up. If I'd have given up, I wouldn't be here."

Dixon is recovering from his second-degree burns at home. He said he’s talked with the other firefighter who was hurt. His gear was also destroyed, but he's okay.

The people they went in to save escaped before the collapse. Dixon said he hopes this encourages people to move quickly if their home catches fire.

“If somebody tells you your house is on fire, you need to get out. Please leave,” Dixon said.

He also stressed the importance of his job and those who might be interested in joining the career.

“We need to make sure that all new recruits understand what they are signing up for, why we push them to put the gear on and train the way that we want them to train,” he said. “It's not, because we're trying to be hard. But it's because they can save their life, or someone else's life. If you don't know how to put your gear on properly, you don't do the training properly, and you don't learn from it, this is a business that can cost you your life. We don't want to see that for anybody.”