00:00It sucks to be old.
00:10Well, police in Wisconsin helped save an 84-year-old guy
00:16after his minivan burst into flames.
00:21Oh, no.
00:22This could happen to my dad at any time.
00:25That's full-size van, boy.
00:27I hope it doesn't.
00:30I hope it doesn't, too.
00:32This happened, I guess, because the guy blew a tire
00:35and thought he could still make it home.
00:38I'm fine.
00:41Sparks.
00:42Flames.
00:44Well, yeah, because that tire doesn't stick around long, you know?
00:47Like, eventually, when it blows, it'll just tear apart.
00:51So, yeah.
00:53Donald Schmeling is real lucky that the cops were close by.
00:58Here's the story of what happened to this poor old dude from NBC15.
01:02Take a listen.
01:05What?
01:06Like a stunt scene out of Hollywood, 9 p.m. Tuesday,
01:10a Kenosha police officer behind a van.
01:12It's ring sparking, a streak of fire.
01:15Seconds later, it bursts into flames.
01:17Behind the wheel, 84-year-old Donald Schmeling
01:19says he heard his tire pop and tried to make it home.
01:22I'm good.
01:23I'm fine.
01:23I was looking for a place to stop,
01:25and all of a sudden, the sparks came.
01:28You knew you were in trouble.
01:29I knew I was in trouble.
01:30Schmeling pulled over right in front of St. Mark's Church
01:33at 73rd and 12th Avenue.
01:35Officers run to the burning van.
01:36Um, go out the other side, my man.
01:39He just dragged him away and likely saved his life.
01:42Luckily, Schmeling escaped with a small burn on his forehead.
01:46After I got out and it was burning,
01:50they just put me in the squad car.
01:54My jacket was burned, head burned, so.
01:56As this van bursts into flames,
01:58police say it's really incredible it didn't explode
02:01because it could have ended much differently
02:04for the driver and the officers.
02:06I was amazed to see that somebody survived this,
02:09and thankfully, Kenosha Police was in the right spot
02:12to be able to help.
02:12Thankful for those officers?
02:14I am.
02:16And the fire department.
02:18They're all good here.
02:18He's just a slow-talking, slow-moving man.
02:21Look, he just stood in the fire for a while.
02:24He just stood in the fire.
02:24Oh, well.
02:26He's like, sir, how are you doing?
02:29Hey, guys.
02:29Sir, move.
02:30Oh, my God.
02:31You got to get out of the...
02:32You're standing in fire.
02:33Sir, you're on fire.
02:35Yes.
02:35You're forehead.
02:36I am.
02:37Donald!
02:37I'll get over there.
02:38Don't worry.
02:39Donald, get out of the minivan!
02:41What?
02:42Get out of the minivan!
02:44All right, let me take my time here.
02:46Open the door.
02:47Oh, look.
02:48A blazing inferno.
02:49I guess he'll stand right inside of it.
02:52Slow.
02:52Like, even he said he was looking for a place to pull over.
02:54Just pull, like there was no other road!
02:56Pull over!
02:57Yeah, there's no way he could have climbed to the other side, though.
03:01No.
03:01He's not in shape enough to climb to the other side.
03:04No, no.
03:05In a minivan, get over to the passenger side and get out that door, there's no way in hell.
03:09No.
03:10So he had to just...
03:10In the time it would have taken him to do that, he would have burnt to a crisp.
03:13Well, no.
03:14I think there's no fire on the other side.
03:15Oh, but I see what you're saying.
03:16It would have taken him so long to get there.
03:19The flames would have been up there by then.
03:21Yeah, he would have just died.
03:21But also another way to die is just stand in fire.
03:28You wouldn't think you'd have to tell people that.
03:30No.
03:31Don't stand in fire.
03:32Hey!
03:32Hey!
03:33He was like...
03:34Woo!
03:34It's hot!
03:35Yeah, it's hot!
03:36You're standing in fire, bud!
03:37Oh, whoa!
03:39You gotta get out of the room!
03:40I can really feel it on the top of my head!
03:42It's hot as blazes!
03:43Oh, my God!
03:46Siri!
03:48What is the forecast for tonight?
03:51It's so hot!
03:53Hottest Wisconsin night in history.
03:55Oh, my God!
03:57I should have dressed lighter!
04:01Are you talking to the news?
04:02He talks so slow.
04:04Everything about him is slow.
04:05He was standing in fire.
04:10Don't stand in fire.
04:12Like, if you're standing in fire, you'd think you'd be like...
04:15Your body would...
04:17Everything about your whole self would be like...
04:19Get out of this!
04:21And he wasn't.
04:22They're all good.
04:23Oh, well.
04:23And he brought me home.
04:25Watch!
04:26Hello.
04:27Hi.
04:27The officers were hot.
04:28Take me a little bit here.
04:29Which way did I go?
04:30Oh, what the hell?
04:31The van's on fire, huh?
04:33Whoa!
04:35Whose van is that?
04:40Son of a bitch.
04:41That poor guy.
04:42He's so lucky.
04:43I love that he was like, I was just looking for a place to pull over.
04:48That was safe.
04:49Not trying to drive it all the way home.
04:51Right.
04:51Like, we know.
04:52Cops said the siren's going.
04:54He still wasn't pulling over.
04:56It's not safe.
04:57He pulled over finally.
04:58I guess this is a church here.
04:59Yeah.
05:00That's where it just...
05:01We probably was like, it's a scam!
05:03It's like the scene from Back to the Future.
05:05It really is.
05:06I don't know what happened.
05:08Behind the van.
05:09It's rim sparking.
05:10I see a new idea that one of the van.
05:12What?
05:13And he definitely wasn't going 88 miles per hour.
05:15No.
05:15A trail of fire behind him.
05:18We're looking to hit 28 miles an hour.
05:21Don't do 28.
05:23Look at him.
05:23He's fine.
05:24What?
05:25Come on.
05:27Everybody's overreacting.
05:29I stood inside the fire.
05:31It wasn't that hot.
05:34Mr. Smelling, were you okay?
05:36Everything was fine?
05:37What?
05:38You never stood in a fire before?
05:39No, actually.
05:40God, this generation of yours.
05:42It seems like you were pretty slow moving, considering you left a trail of fire for a mile behind you.
05:46I didn't notice the fire.
05:48You were just trying to get home with a flat tire?
05:50Of course I was!
05:52You ever think of calling AAA?
05:54I am not a member of AAA.
05:56Oh.
05:56You ever think of changing the tire yourself?
05:57Actually, there's no chance he's not a member of AAA.
06:00What about the AARP?
06:01Don't they have some of that stuff, too?
06:02They've got to.
06:03Roadside?
06:03I can do it myself.
06:06All I had to do was get home.
06:08Oh, goodness.
06:09Yeah.
06:09That's what being cheap and old will do to you there.
06:12Cheap old and slow moving.
06:13Do you think it's possible he didn't even know his tire was?
06:16Yes.
06:18No, he heard it pop.
06:19Yeah.
06:20He said he heard it pop, but he was trying to make it home.
06:22That's what he told the news.
06:24Yep.
06:27He almost died that day.
06:28He absolutely.
06:29Like, he was, don't you think, like 30 seconds away from dying?
06:32Yes.
06:32Yeah.
06:33Although you can't tell here in this shot.
06:35No.
06:36He looks completely not at nothing wrong.
06:38Not a scratch on him.
06:39He looks like he's like, oh, I just had a Salisbury steak.
06:43Salisbury steak.
06:45Caught me at a bad time.
06:47You know he's knee-deep in Salisbury steak.
06:51Oh, my God.
06:52Just made a delicious Salisbury steak.
06:56Stouffer's.
06:57Oh, man.
06:58Right out the box.
07:00Microwave kind or the kind you cook in the oven?
07:02Microwave.
07:03Oh, good choice.
07:05Yep.
07:05You just hit the, my grandson told me, hit that one button.
07:08And it cooks it up.
07:11Now, we're glad he's okay.
07:13But move faster.
07:14My God.
07:15Move faster if there's fire is the warning for today.
07:17No.
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