SHELBYVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A volunteer firefighter has finally arrived home after a bonfire accident left him with second- and third-degree burns on 80 percent of his body.
The son of the Shelbyville Fire Department captain, Dustin Rhodes, said he's worked house fires, car wrecks and emergency calls. Now, a young man who's dedicated his life to helping others is calling on your help.
"My buddy that was standing right next to me says he could see me one minute, and the next minute, he couldn't see me at all," said Rhodes, remembering the accident. "I dropped and I rolled about 30 feet or so, and the guy finally stopped me and said, 'Hey, you're all out.'"
A 23-year-old volunteer firefighter in Bell Buckle, Rhodes is known to some as "Uncle Dut Dut" and as "Ironman" to others.
"I'd give everything before I help myself is what it is," said Rhodes. "I've definitely seen a lot of things I didn't figure would happen to myself."
Last Sunday, Rhodes and a friend were lighting a bonfire in Unionville, not knowing there was still fuel at the bottom of the pit.
"I guess the fumes from the fuel were still in there," said Rhodes. "It just came up and fully wrapped around me. It just looked like the flame just grabbed me."
Rhodes was rushed to the hospital and later LifeFlighted to Vanderbilt. After a week of treatment, he finally went home, where he is now facing a new problem in the medical bills for his hospital stay and the therapy still to come.
"I have no insurance at all," said Rhodes. "I hate asking anyone for anything. I'd rather go out and work myself for it, but at this point in time, I can't."
On Aug. 12, a benefit for Rhodes is being held at the Bedford County Ag Center in Shelbyville. Sister Nicki Rhodes is hoping and praying for a strong turnout to support a brother that's so much more to her than just "Ironman."
"He's all the blood I have," said Nicki Rhodes. "He knows he's my world. He knows I'd do anything for him, and he'd do it for me."
Music will start at 1 p.m., and the event will include a live auction, a concession stand and carnival games.
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