05-05-2025
Asheville firefighter honored with medal after Hurricane Helene rescue
Two firefighters were posted along the French Broad River when bystanders told them about a man trapped in a car.
Jay Bettencourt and Corey Bass jumped into action. They boarded a rescue boat and arrived where the man's car was filling with water, WLOS reports.
'Luckily, we were able to pull the door open and use the motor to help push it open and then pull this guy out into our boat,' Bettencourt said.
READ: Resources for those impacted by Hurricane Helene
But challenges persisted.
'It's funny,' Bettencourt said. 'Our boat motor died right then. It got a bunch of gunk in the propeller and died and so my guy Corey had to flip the motor up, fix it really quick and get it going again and then we pushed off.'
Bettencourt was presented with the Medal of Honor on Thursday at the Asheville Fire Department's annual awards ceremony at Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville.
WATCH: Resources for those impacted by Hurricane Helene
