PENNSYLVANIA (WHP) — Samuel Byler remembers the flames. He remembers the pain. And he remembers the terrifying realization that his dog was still trapped inside the burning RV he called home.
The 59-year-old had to make a split-second decision. Despite suffering serious burns, he ran back into the burning vehicle to save his dog, Dolly.
Both survived, but the fire nearly took their lives and also destroyed nearly everything Byler owned, leaving him without a home and struggling to rebuild his life.
It happened one morning in June, after Byler spent much of the night trying to repair his broken-down RV. The vehicle was more than just a way to get around. It was where he lived, worked and hoped to rebuild his financial future.
Byler said he had replaced several engine parts, but the RV still wouldn’t start. After running out of starting fluid, he decided to try pouring gasoline into the carburetor. When he turned the ignition, the engine backfired. Bright blue and red flames shot from the engine, startling Byler and causing him to spill the gasoline he was holding. Within moments, the fire spread, and his clothes caught fire.
“I was on fire,” Byler recalled. “And so I remember as a kid, I stopped dropping roll, right? So I threw myself out the driver’s door.”
But once outside, Byler realized Dolly was still trapped inside the burning RV. He ran around the vehicle, forced open a door and went back in to get her.
“Flame shot out,” he recalled.
Despite the danger, Byler managed to grab Dolly, tuck her under his shirt and run out of the RV, screaming for help. He had saved his dog, but the fire had taken nearly everything else. Byler suffered serious burns, including third-degree burns to his hand, and spent 11 days in the hospital recovering.
Months later, his injuries have healed, but two of his fingers still don’t move the way they used to. The physical injuries were only part of what he would have to overcome. With his RV destroyed, Byler no longer had a place to call home. After leaving the hospital, he spent time in a homeless shelter, where Dolly was unable to stay with him.
His brother eventually helped reunite the two and gave them a temporary place to stay. But months after the fire, Byler is still searching for a permanent home and trying to come to terms with everything he lost.
He said he continues to have nightmares about the fire and struggles with the feeling that his life has been turned upside down.
“I struggle with, you know, my identity, I guess,” he said. “I don’t know who I am anymore.”
For now, Byler said he isn’t looking for much. He just wants a safe place where he and Dolly can finally settle down.
“Maybe having a roof over my head or, you know, some kind of a roof over my head, whether it be a van or a, you know, apartment, what have you, someplace me and my dog can relax,” he said.
Although he knows he can’t get back everything he lost in the fire, Byler said the experience has taught him not to take what he has for granted.
Those who would like to learn more about Byler’s situation or support his recovery can visit his GoFundMe fundraiser.