Sean Hayes helped rescue a girl from burning, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, September 5, 2024. A 15-year-old girl was in the hallway of a high school between class periods when another student approached her, raised a bottle full of gasoline above the girl’s head, doused her with it, then used a lighter to set her on fire. Flames quickly spread along the girl’s head and torso. Hayes, 33, teacher, was in the hallway as the attack occurred and immediately instructed a co-worker to phone 911. Hayes then instructed the girl to move to the ground, at which point Hayes moved to his hands and knees beside the girl. Hayes tried to roll the girl, but impeded by her backpack then rocked her to extinguish the flames. Hayes then attempted to pat out the flames using his hands, at which point he realized the flames had jumped to his own clothing. He stood and pressed himself against a set of nearby lockers in an effort to extinguish the flames on him before removing his overshirt and T-shirt. Hayes then used the overshirt to pat out the flames on the girl’s body before requesting a co-worker’s shirt after Hayes’ overshirt had been damaged by the flames. The co-worker handed the shirt to Hayes, who used it to continue patting out the flames. With most of the flames extinguished, a school police officer arrived and relieved Hayes. Hayes, noticing flames on the hallway floor, retrieved a discarded fire extinguisher, which he used to extinguish puddles of flaming gasoline as others tended to the girl. Emergency personnel transported both the girl and Hayes to a nearby hospital. The girl suffered burns to 40 percent of her body and was hospitalized about three months; she recovered. Hayes suffered burns to the left side of his body, including his face, neck, side, and hand; he recovered.
2024-0000361-10560Sean Hayes
Saskatoon, SK