An elderly Marine veteran put himself in extreme danger Tuesday to save others when a row house exploded in the Pigtown area of Baltimore, Maryland.
Terry Bagley was walking past when the home, located on Bayard Street, exploded, WBAL TV reported Wednesday.
Firefighters found the man buried underneath a pile of rubble after he tried to rescue two neighbors from the burning building.
The Baltimore City Fire Department posted photos of the scene that showed bricks scattered all over the street as crews worked to douse the flames:
In the explosion in the 1100blk of Bayard St, the house was occupied at the time. 3 injuries reported: 1 serious and 2 critical. More updates to follow as they become available.
Posted by Baltimore City Fire Department on Tuesday, November 22, 2022
On Wednesday, officials said a 16-year-old girl and 48-year-old woman who were inside the home at the time of the incident were in stable condition but Bagley was listed in critical condition.
Terry Bagley, a 70-year-old Marine, is now fighting for his life at Shock Trauma. He was walking by the home that exploded in Baltimore yesterday and didn’t hesitate to help. @wjz Photos courtesy of the Bagley family pic.twitter.com/RJfCzS198e
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) November 23, 2022
His daughter Eris Bagley and son Terry Bagley Jr. expressed pride over his actions but they were also deeply worried because he was put in a medically induced coma.
Eris said although her father suffered a broken pelvis, a broken femur, and broken hand, “He thought nothing about his own life to save two women that he did not know.”
As of Monday morning, a GoFundMe page set up for Bagley had raised $31,520 of its $150,000 goal.
His son told reporters, “He’s a Marine and he always treated his friends with care and compassion. He’ll always be there for them… His heroic behavior is nothing new,” he continued:
I’ve always seen this and I think every child should look up to their father. Every child should be proud of their father, and I am very proud of what he did but I am also scared as well, and I’ve got to be honest with that. But I’m praying to my God and I believe in my God and I just want my father to get better and I just want his story to be out there that a 70-year-old man put his life on the line to save two people.
“His heroic behavior is nothing new.” Terry Bagley’s son told me he’s proud of his dad. Three victims of yesterday’s explosion remain hospitalized tonight @wjz https://t.co/eDex3RFNNV pic.twitter.com/FtvfTKfDKa
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) November 23, 2022
Doctors reportedly want to perform surgery on one of the man’s injuries but have postponed it as they wait for a heart specialist’s opinion.
According to his son, Bagley has opened his eyes, moved his toes, and also moved his hands some, CBS News reported Wednesday.
Meanwhile, “BGE, and its private contractors, confirmed they had been working on fixing and upgrading a gas main in the same area as the explosion,” the outlet said, adding crews later cut off a ruptured line.
Officials are currently investigating the cause of the explosion.
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