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Music

23rd May 2016

Heroic Irish rock band rescue 12 people from a burning building

Paul Moore

The members of Dissension Rising are absolute heroes.

Dissension Rising, a four-piece rock band from Kildare and Longford, heroically intervened to help save the lives of 12 people in New Jersey during a burning blaze. The band are currently on tour in the U.S and were staying in a house when the fire started.

After noticing the impending danger, the band members – Danni Carroll, Keith Garrett, Rob Higgins and Kian Johnston, along with their driver Justin Carroll – came to the rescue of the tenants as smoke and flames engulfed the building.

According to The Mirror, Justin Carroll said: “The families and the fire brigade involved all kept saying to everyone if we had not been there or if we had not reacted when and how we did, 10 minutes later everyone would be dead from smoke inhalation.”

He added, “It was getting hard to see and breathe but once we knew we had everyone who was in the house downstairs we ran out. But we didn’t realise there was another family who lived in the basement until Danni shouted she could hear screams.

“Danni and Keith ran around the back of the house followed by myself and Mr Vasquez [the father of the family who lived upstairs].

“We could hear screaming. There were flames at the rear of the house coming through the walls. We were met by a woman carrying a child. Danni asked if anyone else was in the house and she said, ‘Yes, the kids are in there’.”

He continued, “There was panic inside the apartment, which was quickly filling with smoke. A policeman had just arrived on the scene and the officer, Mr Vasquez and myself started getting people out of there and handing them over to Danni, Keith, Kian and Rob, who guided the women with babies and children to the car.

“They were in shock and the babies were crying. Rob and Kian stayed with them. It was chaos.”

A local neighbour, Kim Foulkes, expressed her eternal gratitude to the band and stated that they’re the only reason why her family are alive today.

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