Tulsa Fire Victim Gives Thanks To Rescuers Five Years Later

Five years ago today, firefighters rescued a Tulsa man from his burning apartment. That quick action, along with months of medical care, saved his life.

For the first time, he stood face-to-face with all the people who played a role in his recovery. It's a moment that could have so easily slipped away, New Year's Day, 2007.

"One minute later, a couple of seconds later, I probably wouldn't be alive," said Andrew Little, the fire victim.

"A friend of mine stayed with me and she fell asleep smoking a cigarette. Next thing I know I woke up in a hospital bed," Little said.

That was when Andrew Little learned a fire burned 35 percent of his body and he'd spent the past two months in a drug-induced coma.

"I had to learn how to walk again. That's one big thing. I had to learn how to eat again. You forget how to use the muscles in your throat," Little said.

Fifteen skin grafts and countless surgeries later, Little regained his strength. In the five years since the fire, he's attended a NASCAR race, graduated college, and lived his life. Never quite knowing what happened that morning or who exactly saved him until now.

"Everyone that is here tonight had something to do with saving Little's life, whether it was driving the fire truck. We got the three firemen that carried him out of this fire," said David Smith, Little's stepfather.

And those men rewound the clock five years, Little grasped onto every detail. How fire crews battled the flames. How the rescue team fought their way into his apartment. How they found Little's body in his bed, buried under pieces of sheet rock. How EMT's kept him breathing. Leading up to the moment five years in the making.

"I appreciate it. Thank you so much," Little said.

"It makes you feel about six inches off the ground. It really does make you feel good," said Justin Banks with the Tulsa Fire Department.

The firefighters say saving lives is why they pin on the badge. But Little says they're heroes and he wants to pay it forward by helping other burn victims.

"At first when you're burned, it's pretty hard. But after a few years, you get used to it. You get strong. They need someone to show them that, I think. And I could be a good example," Little said.

That work will begin very soon. The family announced the creation of the ASL Phoenix Foundation fund. That stands for Andrew Scott Little Phoenix, symbolizing how he rose from the flames. The foundation will help feed firefighters and nurses on the job and also help burn victims recover.