0:00:00 > 0:00:02A close call - a moment of danger when life
0:00:02 > 0:00:04can hang in the balance...
0:00:04 > 0:00:08What would happen if I wasn't found or didn't find a way out of it?
0:00:08 > 0:00:11..a split second when the outcome could go either way...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's a choice - life or death.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16..the difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20We saw a lady who was critically ill, if not dying, in front of us.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22I kept thinking the hotel was going to fall on us.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'It's a day they'll never forget.'
0:00:29 > 0:00:31The day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Today on Close Calls...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Firefighters risk their lives to rescue a woman
0:00:52 > 0:00:55trapped in her third-floor flat, as flames shoot up
0:00:55 > 0:00:57the side of the building.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01My head was outside trying to breathe in fresh air.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04The heat was beginning to come through the floorboards.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07She's being choked by the acrid smoke.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09There are only seconds left to save her.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18And three friends on the ultimate snowboarding adventure.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21All pretty excited to be heading to Mount Cook
0:01:21 > 0:01:24because the mountains there are pretty unridden.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28But now one of them is lost in a massive avalanche,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30fighting to survive.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33It started getting heavier and darker.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I had snow jammed down my throat it was up my nose.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I really needed air, badly.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Sudbury in Suffolk.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50The town is at a standstill.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53A building is ablaze in the high street.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57A passer-by films with a mobile phone
0:01:57 > 0:01:59and spots a woman trapped inside.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The fire rips through the building.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08The woman's life is in peril.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Firefighters must risk their own lives to save her.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14A few of us realised if she didn't come out pretty soon,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17we were probably going to lose her and the firefighter
0:02:17 > 0:02:18at the top of the ladder.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Sudbury is a small, pretty market town in Suffolk.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34It's home to Christina and her husband, Ellison,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36who are originally from Zimbabwe.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I've been married since 1986, nearly 30 years now.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44We have three children, all grown up,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47and we have one granddaughter. She's nearly one.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49After the kids grew up and left home,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Christina and Ellison moved to Sudbury.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53They work together as well.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55I do love my job.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56We are care workers.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00We look after people with learning disabilities, elderly people,
0:03:00 > 0:03:01vulnerable people.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03That's what we do.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07And the couple found an ideal home in a flat above the shops,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09right in the centre of town.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10Yes, it was nice and warm.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12We were settled in Sudbury.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15We had no plans of moving at any time.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But their happy lifestyle is about to change.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24It's a Sunday evening in September, coming up to 6.30pm.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31My husband had just finished and I was in the kitchen preparing supper.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Christina and her husband live on the third storey
0:03:34 > 0:03:37of an historic building on the attractive high street.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40It has a charity shop and nail bar on the ground floor,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43but because it's Sunday, both are closed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Walking along the street with her boyfriend is Carly,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48another Sudbury local.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50As I walked past... I'm a little bit nosy and normally look
0:03:50 > 0:03:52in the windows of the shops
0:03:52 > 0:03:56and the nail bar was quite hazy as I walked past.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So we took a few steps back because I couldn't just leave it,
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I had to be sure that it wasn't...
0:04:04 > 0:04:06I then looked through the window to check
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and there were flames in the back of the shop.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15Carly immediately dials 999 to report the fire.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I didn't quite realise at that point how vast it was going to be
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and how dangerous it was going to be.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25In this rural area, all the firefighters are part-time.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28When the alarm goes off, the crews on call
0:04:28 > 0:04:31rush straight to their local stations.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Crew Commander Scott Powell is on the first fire engine out.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We turn to the station,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41we get a ticket that just said "allocate building fire."
0:04:41 > 0:04:44In the high street, the amount of smoke is increasing.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Carly and her boyfriend realised there are flats above it.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They shout desperately to alert anyone inside.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55"Fire, fire," we would just... "Hello."
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Anything that we could, just to create noise, loudly,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01because the entrance of the flats was around the back.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Residents immediately start to leave the building.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But up on the top floor, Christina and her husband
0:05:07 > 0:05:11are at the back of their flat with no idea of what's going on below.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14That's when we heard the fire alarm go.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16When my husband opened the door...
0:05:17 > 0:05:21to the corridor, it was already filled with smoke
0:05:21 > 0:05:23and thick black smoke.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Christina and her husband have a vital decision to make -
0:05:28 > 0:05:30stay or go.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It was terrifying, it was terrifying.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I just didn't want to go into the smoke.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38I thought it would be better if... I don't know.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I don't know what I think it was, I think survival mode or something.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42I thought it was too dangerous.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46He said, "Let's go."
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Christina's husband plunges into the smoke
0:05:48 > 0:05:51thinking she's right behind him.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52But she isn't.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54And he just went, I didn't follow him.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Just a metre from me and he was in the smoke.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I couldn't even see him, that's what made me go back inside.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Rooted to the spot with fear,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Christina then shuts the door to keep out the smoke.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09And I was actually very afraid for him when I shut the door, thinking -
0:06:09 > 0:06:12what has happened to him in that smoke?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Christina rushes to the living room window
0:06:14 > 0:06:18at the front of the flat to see what's going on in the street.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20She opened the window.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22I couldn't quite hear what she had said to start with.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But we just shouted up, "It's a fire! Get out, get out!"
0:06:25 > 0:06:28She said she couldn't get out, there was too much smoke.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29So she couldn't get through.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I could see that they were very afraid for me.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I got halfway along the journey to the building
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and we did get informed by our control room
0:06:38 > 0:06:41it was now persons reported, that people were inside.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Suffolk Fire scale up their response and send every available engine.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50At the scene, Christina's husband has reached safety
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and discovered she's not with him.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56But he can't go back to find her because of the heat and smoke.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59He was screaming and shouting up at Christina.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Panicking, my husband, I could see him and one of my friends,
0:07:04 > 0:07:05she was panicking as well.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10A crowd has started to gather in the street, some have cameras.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15From his flat, a man films as Scott's fire engine arrives.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19On street level, someone else takes a photograph of Carly,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22showing Scott where Christina is.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25One of Scott's crew begins to tackle the fire with a hose.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Another passer-by keeps on filming with their mobile phone.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Christina can be seen in the top floor window, at least 30 feet up.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37She was shouting and we did need to calm her down.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Gave a talk to her up there.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Because we didn't know what the circumstances was behind there.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47My initial crew put a ladder up, a smaller ladder,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and we sent one of our firefighters up there just to comfort the lady
0:07:51 > 0:07:52and talk through to the lady.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Taking somebody out of a window this high is always risky.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59A fall onto the concrete below is likely to be fatal.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Scott knows another engine is on the way.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07So whilst he waits, two crew members in breathing apparatus
0:08:07 > 0:08:10smash the shop window and attack the blaze.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11CRASHING
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Another firefighter climbs up to Christina.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20One of the firemen was talking to me and reassuring me
0:08:20 > 0:08:23that they would get me out within touching distance.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29But the heat's intensifying.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Suddenly, the two firefighters tackling the flames
0:08:32 > 0:08:33are engulfed in smoke.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Off-camera, another fire engine has now arrived to help.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Crew Commander Danny is on board.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44What we hadn't realised at that time was it was obviously
0:08:44 > 0:08:47starting to spread through the back of the shops.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50We hadn't been able to gain access to the rear of the premises
0:08:50 > 0:08:52to see the extent of the damage so far.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54A female member of the fire crew orders the crowd
0:08:54 > 0:08:57to start moving back for their own safety.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Guys, move, please!
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And not a moment too soon.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04The back rooms of both shops are now ablaze.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06The temperature is rising so high,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09there's a potential of what is known as a flashover.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12We have superheated gases where a lot of the materials
0:09:12 > 0:09:15inside the building are heated by the fire,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17but not necessarily involved with the fire.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Once those gases come in contact with the actual ignition source,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23they ignite and expand and blow the windows out.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27A woman filming moves away with the rest of the crowd,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30but her phone is still recording and captures the sound
0:09:30 > 0:09:32of what happens next.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The rising heat sets off a car alarm.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36CAR ALARM BLARES
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Then the shop windows explode outwards.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42CRASHING
0:09:43 > 0:09:47We had the ground floor blow the windows out, quite unexpectedly,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49knocking two firefighters off their feet.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And then it became an extremely serious fire very quickly.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56The fire is now spread across the entire ground floor
0:09:56 > 0:10:01and high up in the building, Christina's in mortal danger.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03I understand they were waiting for another ladder
0:10:03 > 0:10:07which could accommodate two people, but whilst I was at the window,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10smoke was beginning to seep from underneath the corner
0:10:10 > 0:10:13of the cupboards and from underneath the floorboards.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14I was panicking.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And so is Christina's husband.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20He's frantic and begging the fire crew to get her out.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25He was just beside himself.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I mean, what can you do?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30To see a loved one stuck in a very quickly burning building.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It was going through the building so quickly.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38We needed to get her out of the building.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41She was obviously a life risk there that needed saving.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Later, as the fire surges towards her,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48a desperate Christina dangles half out of the window.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51A member of the fire crew struggles to keep hold of her.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56And in a daring rescue attempt,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Danny risks his own life to save her.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Flames started to reach through to the ladder.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- She started to get burned. - It was burning me.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06My husband was screaming, I could hear him,
0:11:06 > 0:11:07and my friend was screaming as well,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09"They are going to die."
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Mount Cook, New Zealand.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23A snowboarder triggers an avalanche.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The wall of snow scoops him up and drags him a mile down the mountain.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29It was like a tidal wave.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I was incredibly scared for him.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Fellow boarders are powerless to help.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37And when the landslide of snow comes to a standstill,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40there's no sign of their friend.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Where's Johno? Where's Johno?
0:11:50 > 0:11:5340-year-old Johno Verity is a veteran snowboarder.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56In his day, he was king of the slopes,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00winning the British Snowboarding Championship in his late 20s.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I love being on a snowboard, on the mountain.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's just an amazing feeling of freedom.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09You can go incredibly fast.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12You can stop very quickly.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14It kind of turns you into a superhuman.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19But after 12 years as a professional boarder,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Johno's life changed when he became a father to Ace,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24now seven years old.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27My daughter means everything.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Family is now the most important thing for Johno,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33but he still takes to the slopes.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36These days, however, he's more likely to be filming others
0:12:36 > 0:12:39doing extreme stunts than doing them himself.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I'm a camera operator and I specialise in filming
0:12:43 > 0:12:45on mountain and in the snow.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49One of Johno's closest friends
0:12:49 > 0:12:53is fellow veteran snowboarder James Stentiford.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I know Johno through the British snowboard scene.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00I first came across him in Meribel, probably 20 years ago.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03His nickname was Backflip Johno because that's
0:13:03 > 0:13:05the only trick he could do at the time.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10And we ended up forming a friendship and we started doing seasons
0:13:10 > 0:13:12and riding together a lot.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Over the years, Johno and James have travelled the world
0:13:15 > 0:13:17in pursuit of the ultimate ride.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22And on a bright August morning in the Southern Alps of New Zealand,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25they're unaware just how close they are to finding it.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30The pair are there with another close pal, Eric.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33They're preparing for a spectacular run snowboarding down the
0:13:33 > 0:13:35country's highest mountain, Mount Cook.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41We had wanted to make a film about freeride snowboarding.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44All pretty excited to be heading to Mount Cook
0:13:44 > 0:13:47because the mountains there are pretty unridden.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So it's proper wilderness, they're big mountains.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52You know, it's quite an intimidating environment.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56But their plans are put on hold when the trio are stuck in a hotel for
0:13:56 > 0:14:00three entire days as a snowstorm rages outside.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03When you get that much snow, you just know you're in
0:14:03 > 0:14:04for a really amazing day.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06When it all clears up, you've got tons of snow,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10which is the best conditions you can have for snowboarding.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Then, on the fourth morning, the friends wake to a clear blue sky.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19They're going to be skiing off trail in fresh powder snow
0:14:19 > 0:14:23near the peak of the mountain. It can only be accessed by helicopter.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27The Southern Alps in New Zealand, they're incredible mountains.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29They have heli-skiing there.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32That really offers you an opportunity
0:14:32 > 0:14:34to do some great snowboarding.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37But massive amounts of fresh snow are always
0:14:37 > 0:14:40accompanied by an increased risk of avalanche.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42So the boys take care to consult mountain guides
0:14:42 > 0:14:44about the conditions.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Very, very experienced guide.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49He seemed pretty happy with the situation.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53They're also carrying personal emergency locator beacons.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Felt pretty confident in the snowpack.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58But you still always ride a slope as if
0:14:58 > 0:15:01the worst-case scenario is going to happen.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06The boarders start with a few warm up runs on the less taxing slopes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11We had two runs, just mellow runs, to get our legs warmed up,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13just to see how it was.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15And the snow conditions were incredible.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16Really light, really deep.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Then it's time for their big run.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23The skiers are dropped just 150 metres
0:15:23 > 0:15:28from the top of Mount Cook's peak - more than 3,500 metres up.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31James is going first.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I was going to ride about two thirds of the way down, stop,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38wait for Johno and Eric to come down and then we were going
0:15:38 > 0:15:40to film the next pitch.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Going first is obviously a little bit more nerve-racking
0:15:43 > 0:15:46because you are kind of like the test dummy.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50James stops and turns to watch Johno and Eric get ready to launch
0:15:50 > 0:15:51themselves down the mountain.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54All three men are filming.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I was going to wait and watch Eric come down the ridge,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59and then he was going to jump off a cliff,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and then I was going to start riding with him.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Eric sets off from just above Johno's position.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Ten seconds!
0:16:08 > 0:16:11This is the footage from Eric's helmet camera.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So everything was going fine, he jumped off a cliff.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18And this is the footage from Johno's camera as he films Eric.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21And then I went to put in a big turn,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23just to slow myself down.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26I remember thinking, I've kicked up a lot of snow
0:16:26 > 0:16:27with that one little turn.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30And it was annoying because I was trying to keep him in the shots.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I was annoyed that I'd kicked up so much snow with my turn.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37But Johno's kicked up a lot more than he thinks.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40His turn, combined with Eric's landing,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43triggers a massive avalanche.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I looked around me,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48the whole mountain was just starting to roll and undulate.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55This is the moment the torrent of snow catches up with Johno,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58surrounding him and carrying him with it.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I looked to my right and I looked to my left
0:17:03 > 0:17:04and I just knew I was in a big one.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08And I just thought, right, stay on top.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13The mountain of snow catches up with Eric too
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and he's blasted by its power.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20But because he's nearer the edge of the snowfall,
0:17:20 > 0:17:21he's able to stay on top of it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Johno's camera is still rolling as he's pulled into
0:17:26 > 0:17:29the heart of the avalanche.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31He's in danger of it swallowing him up.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34If it does, he'll suffocate in seconds.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40I was sliding along on my back trying to stay above the snow,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and then a huge wave of snow hit me from behind
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and flipped me onto my front
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and started churning me over.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51The wall of snow is now heading towards James
0:17:51 > 0:17:54further down the mountain.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56It was massive. It was like a tidal wave.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I mean, there's no other way of describing it.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01The force of it was incredible.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02He takes evasive action.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05From what I saw coming towards me,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08if I hadn't put myself in a safe position,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10I've no doubt that I wouldn't have survived.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13But Johno can't escape.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17He's being pulled deeper and deeper into the wall of snow.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21It started getting heavier and darker and I was really,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23really scared at this point because I thought, well, I'm just
0:18:23 > 0:18:26going to end up being trapped underneath the snow.
0:18:28 > 0:18:29It's kind of bloodcurdling,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33this idea that you're going to be trapped in this concrete, basically.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35It was a horrific thought.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38All I was thinking was, you have to survive this.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Filmed from above, Johno can be seen being carried down the mountain
0:18:42 > 0:18:45by the immense sheet of snow and ice.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47James is powerless to help.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50I was incredibly scared for him because until an avalanche stops
0:18:50 > 0:18:53or settles, you don't know what could happen.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Then the avalanche hit a ridge.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58The wave of snow shoots up.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Johno is catapulted into the air, suddenly seeing daylight again.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05I came out over this lip,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09so I must have been airborne with all the rest of the snow.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12I was weightless and it was all light again.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14I suddenly saw Johno flying through the air,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17then again disappeared from view.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20As fast as it started, the avalanche stops.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Eric has ridden it out and survived.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27He urgently radios James.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Where's Johno? Where's Johno?
0:19:32 > 0:19:34We'd rode down the avalanche path, and, you know,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37we were ready to get our transceivers out, our shovels
0:19:37 > 0:19:38and probes and dig for him.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Eric and James desperately scan the landscape for their friend.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Then, at the bottom of the slope, they spot a shape,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48dark against the white snow.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Eric races across the slope,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55his camera still recording.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Are you OK?
0:19:58 > 0:19:59OK?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02John's clearly in shock and gasping for breath.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07One of the first things I was trying to do was hack up this snow so I
0:20:07 > 0:20:08could actually breathe.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13I had snow jammed down my throat, it was up my nose.
0:20:13 > 0:20:14I really needed air badly.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18- I thought I was- BLEEP- buried
0:20:18 > 0:20:21because it completely engulfed me and I was like,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- "BLEEP- get out of me, out of my mouth."
0:20:24 > 0:20:26'It was a huge relief to be alive and unharmed
0:20:26 > 0:20:30'and sitting there and thinking, that's over and I'm all right.'
0:20:32 > 0:20:35You could see the emotion on his face.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36I could see the fear in his eyes.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40He was definitely traumatised by the experience.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48To overcome his horror of what's just happened,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52within hours, Johno forces himself to get back on his board.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I was kind of dreading it,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58but it was really good to go up there and get back on the horse.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01And the good thing about that was that
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I got to have a couple of runs just for myself as well.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08And that just gave me the reminder of
0:21:08 > 0:21:10why I do it and why I love it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14James knows his friend's been incredibly lucky.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18I've seen a lot of avalanche situations
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and people have been killed in far smaller avalanches than that.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I think it was a really close call.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I think it's possibly the closest I've come to dying.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38We all take risks every day,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41so it's good to know that there are dedicated teams of people
0:21:41 > 0:21:43who can help when things go wrong.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Back to Sudbury, Suffolk.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Filmed on a mobile phone, a building is ablaze in the town centre
0:21:51 > 0:21:55where an increasingly desperate Christina is trapped,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57hanging out of a top floor window.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00We needed to get her out of the building.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02She was obviously a life risk there that needed saving.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Firemen have reached her via a ladder.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09One is perched at the top, smothered in smoke, trying to reassure her.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13But to get Christina to safety, they need a stronger, more stable ladder.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17It's just arrived and there isn't a second to spare.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21My head was outside trying to breathe in fresh air
0:22:21 > 0:22:23because the room was filling up with smoke.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The heat was beginning to come through the floorboards.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Desperate to escape, Christina hangs out of the window three floors up.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Onlookers are horrified.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41The firefighter holding her can't get her onto his ladder.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44The angle makes it too dangerous.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48All he can do is grip tightly to stop her falling to her death.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51One wrong move and they'll both go.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53He told me to grip him by the neck
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and to put my face inside his shoulder because there was
0:22:56 > 0:22:58too much smoke and we were covered in smoke,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01so much that we could hardly breathe.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03At that point, I think a few of us then looked across
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and realised if she didn't come out very soon, we were
0:23:06 > 0:23:08probably going to lose her and the firefighter
0:23:08 > 0:23:10at the top of the ladder.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Danny and his fellow firefighters manoeuvre the new,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16safer ladder towards Christina's window.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It was a rapid development of fire at this point.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22We were fearing that the next floor was about to flashover
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and the whole front of the building would be engulfed in flames.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26So it was getting really close now.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28So we pitched our ladder up into thick smoke.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I happened to have a breathing apparatus set on and
0:23:31 > 0:23:33was at the bottom of the ladder, so I made my way up.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36As Danny climbs, Christina is still leaning out of the window,
0:23:36 > 0:23:38her arm around the other firefighter.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44In the choking smoke, Danny coaxes a frightened Christina
0:23:44 > 0:23:47towards the edge of the windowsill so he can grab her.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51The two other firefighters stand by in case she slips.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55The men at the top, they were talking to me,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57reassuring me that they would get me out.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59But time's burning away.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Flames are now roaring out of the building.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's an uncontrollable fire at this point.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Anybody was at risk, anybody near it was at risk.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11He told me, just grab me, let's go.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- And I grabbed him.- I managed to get a hold of her then, turn her around,
0:24:15 > 0:24:16get her onto the ladder.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Oh, please get her out.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23The camera records the moment Danny begins his attempt
0:24:23 > 0:24:28to bring Christina down. The flames lick at their sides.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31'I've got the ladder, she's within me and the ladder.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:35Danny's using his body to shield Christina from the fire.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39But it's 30 potentially deadly feet to the ground.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Hot black smoke covers them both.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45That was the scariest moment...
0:24:46 > 0:24:48when I couldn't breathe.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Danny and Christina struggle on,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53but even worse is to come.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Just as they go out of sight behind the fire engine,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58the inferno increases again.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Flames started to reach through the ladder.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06She started to get burned. That's how close it was.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It was burning me. My husband was screaming, I could hear him
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and my friend was screaming as well,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13"They are going to die."
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I was nearly dead. I was nearly gone.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20This is what happens next.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Because I was getting burnt by the ladder, I panicked.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29As she pushed off, I lost my grip on the ladder.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31For a split second, I thought I was heading for the ground,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33the same way she was going to go.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35And as she went off the side of the ladder,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I just instinctively managed to grab her by her hand.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41As she swung beneath the ladder, that brought me back onto it.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44I managed to bend my legs as low as possible and the crew beneath,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46fortunately, were there.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Somebody shouted, drop her.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55And I let go and they caught her.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56Is she all right?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The final landing was not so graceful.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It was like tumbling onto the ground.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I think another few seconds, it could have all gone terribly wrong.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Christina is suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation
0:26:11 > 0:26:13and has some superficial burns to her legs.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18But she is safe. Out of sight, she's led away to be treated
0:26:18 > 0:26:20by an off-duty nurse.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I met my husband, he was waiting.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25He kept on saying, "I thought I'd lost you.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27"I thought you were going to die there."
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It was an emotional experience.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31You could feel the relief.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33I've never seen anything like it in my life
0:26:33 > 0:26:35and I hope that I never have to again.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Everybody, you've got to move back because we are
0:26:38 > 0:26:43closing Market Hill completely. So I want everybody to move away, please.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Christina may be safe, but the firefighters aren't.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50They still need to stop the fire spreading.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It's another eight long hours before it's out.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59But the building and Christina's home are destroyed.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Next morning, one of the crowd who filmed the fire
0:27:04 > 0:27:07records the devastation as she heads to work.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11We lost everything.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Everything, except for the clothes that we had on.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19I didn't even have shoes on when I was rescued from the fire.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21The fire is believed to have been caused by an
0:27:21 > 0:27:25electrical fault in a back room of the nail bar.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Nine months on, Christina and her husband
0:27:27 > 0:27:30are now happily settled in a new home.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Most of the things in this house,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37they were given by people, total strangers.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39They said, "Do you need this? We've got this.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41"Do you need this? We've got this."
0:27:41 > 0:27:43They looked after us.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Everyone, I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52But Christina is especially grateful to the fire service
0:27:52 > 0:27:54and, in particular, Danny.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57He risked his life for me, he did.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01It was a huge relief for myself and the crew.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02I think Christina was extremely lucky,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04there was literally seconds to spare.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It couldn't have been any closer.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I thank my lucky stars, I thank everyone involved.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Yes. I thank my God for saving my life.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25Some fascinating stories.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Join us next time for some more close calls.