'Hero' father dies while saving his young son in wildfire
An Oklahoma father is being remembered as a hero after officials say he died while trying to save his son in wildfires that ravaged the state last week.
Allen Ferguson, a "beloved" youth wrestling coach from Chandler, died from injuries sustained in the wildfires, Oklahoma House Rep. Jim Shaw said.
Ferguson "tragically lost his life while trying to save his son, Will, who remains in critical condition," Shaw said in a statement on Monday.
"Allen was a hero, and his dedication to his family and our community will never be forgotten," the statement continued.
Family friend Shane Earp also remembered Ferguson as a "good man and a hero" to ABC News.
Ferguson carried his 15-year-old son, Will Conley, through the fire in Chandler to a road where they were found by rescuers, according to Earp. He spoke to his son throughout their ambulance ride to keep him calm, Earp said. Ferguson, who suffered severe burns, died at a hospital on Saturday, the family friend said.
The father of four boys was a "great man all around," Earp said.
“Whether it be fishing, metal detecting, sports, making art out of anything, Civil War reenactment and many other things, if his family was interested in it, he would find a way to learn it and make it happen," Earp said. "Always had jokes and funny comments so you must be ready to laugh when around him."
Ferguson was one of four people killed in Oklahoma due to fires or high winds after scores of wildfires broke out throughout the state last week amid extreme fire weather conditions, officials said. Over 140 people were injured, officials said.
More than 400 homes and structures have been damaged in the high wind-fueled fires, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
Following the devastating blazes, Oklahoma continues to be on alert for fire danger.
Parts of Oklahoma, as well as Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas, face a critical threat of fire danger on Monday.
The fire threat continues in Oklahoma on Tuesday and increases for parts of the Texas Panhandle and southeastern New Mexico.
