A holiday home boss and dad-of-five who ‘died’ for five minutes when his heart stopped beating after a terrifying house fire sent him into cardiac arrest has become friends with the firefighter who brought him back to life. Steve Taylor, 64, and his wife, Jo, 53, had sat down to dinner with her 80-year-old parents when smoke poured through the ceiling.
The side of the house and the roof were engulfed by flames, which Steve fought, valiantly, with fire extinguishers they kept on site in Upper Tysoe, Warwickshire. But his heroism cost him dearly, as he went into cardiac arrest, saying: “I only had a 10 per cent chance of being revived after my heart stopped, so I feel incredibly grateful to still be here."
He added: “I got everybody out of the building and went back in to see where the smoke was coming from. Then I went outside and saw that the side of the house was on fire.”
Springing into action, while waiting for the fire service, he tried to stop the blaze from spreading to the six neighbouring holiday homes which were booked up by guests. He said: "I was sweating and my heart was pounding. Jo rang for a fire engine while I tackled the flames, running in with two extinguishers and running back out for more when they ran out.
“It took eight minutes for firefighters to arrive which felt like an eternity. I had just used up the last extinguisher when they got here."
He said: “Towards the end, the fire was red hot and I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face for the smoke. I was breathless and sweating and I remember sitting down on the patio completely knackered. My heart was going like a train engine and not slowing down.
“I’d had a heart attack 10 years ago, so I know what it feels like. In a daze, I told a firefighter that I was about to have a heart attack."
Steve went into cardiac arrest, with his heart stopping completely while emergency services tried to save his life. He went on: “They tried CPR on me at first which broke six of my ribs, but it wasn’t working. There was a firefighter called Pip Blair, who used to be a paramedic, and she used a defibrillator on my chest.”
He said: “My heart stopped for five minutes and they thought I was going to die. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Pip and my five kids wouldn’t have a dad. She knew exactly what she was doing.”
Steve was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford while firefighters continued to tackle the inferno. He said: “I spent three and a half weeks in hospital where I had a triple bypass, with veins from my legs used to repair my heart and I now have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator below my shoulder to monitor my heart rate.
The fire, which the couple later discovered had been caused by their wood burning stove, is estimated to have caused £500,000 of damage to Steve and Jo’s home, as well as ruining half their belongings.
Steve said: “What actually happened was that sparks dropped out of the flue for the wood burning stove and ignited a load of dry leaves in the guttering. This then spread across the roof and into the house."
He has since enjoyed a memorable reunion with firefighter Pip, and says they have now become pals. “When we spoke about what happened, she told me that only 10 to 12 per cent of people are revived using the defibrillator and most don’t make it if the first two attempts are unsuccessful.”
As a result of his experience, Steve hopes to encourage more people to learn lifesaving skills. He said: “You never know what situation you might find yourself in where you really need it and it will mean the difference between life and death.”
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