A Danish musician is expressing profound gratitude from his hospital bed after firefighters rescued him from a terrifying apartment fire. Palle Juul Pallesen, 31, credits two quick-acting firefighters with saving his life during the blaze that destroyed his Hammerum home earlier this week.
The fire broke out in the three-story apartment building on Birkevænget in Hammerum during the early morning hours. Emergency services received the alarm around 5:30 AM after residents reported smoke and flames spreading through the building.
Pallesen described waking to chaos in the hallway. "I was actually heading to bed when I heard commotion in the stairwell," he recalled from his hospital bed. "I got up and put clothes on because I wanted to find out what was happening."
The musician quickly realized the severity of the situation. He called emergency services and shouted "Fire! Birkevænget in Hammerum!" before the smoke became overwhelming. According to police statements, the fire had ignited in one of twelve apartments in the residential complex.
Pallesen found himself trapped as conditions deteriorated rapidly. "It was far too late to get out into the hallway," he explained. "When I opened the door, there was so much smoke." The musician described how smoke filled his apartment so completely that he couldn't see anything. Emergency dispatchers advised him to move to his balcony, but flames shooting up from below made that option too dangerous.
In a heartbreaking moment, Pallesen abandoned his guitar and PlayStation that he had tried to save. His memory becomes hazy at this point, and he believes he lost consciousness. "I was lying on the floor. I couldn't breathe, and I thought I was going to die now," he remembered.
Then came the breakthrough he credits with saving his life. Through the phone, he heard that firefighters had arrived. He managed to crawl onto the balcony where smoke divers eventually reached him. "Then the smoke divers came and got me rescued out. And thereby they saved my life," Pallesen stated emotionally.
The rescue operation involved evacuating fifteen people from the building. Ambulance personnel assessed all residents and determined none were in immediate life-threatening condition, though three individuals required hospital transport, including Pallesen.
As of Friday, Pallesen remains hospitalized in the pulmonary medicine department at Regionshospitalet in Gødstrup. He's experiencing shock and trauma but emphasizes his overwhelming gratitude. "I must just say huge kudos to the firefighters. They are truly the real heroes in this story," he declared.
The musician described the psychological impact of the near-death experience. "I can't sleep without thinking about it. I can't find peace. I'm ashamed that I screamed like that. And it doesn't make sense to be ashamed because I was dying," he confessed.
Pallesen now faces the practical challenges of rebuilding his life. He'll need to find new housing once discharged from the hospital and will stay with friends or family during his recovery. "I don't think I'll ever feel safe in that stairwell again. There are really many traumas in it," he concluded.
This incident highlights the critical importance of emergency response systems and the bravery of firefighters across Denmark. The rapid intervention by Brand og Redning Midtvest personnel prevented what could have been a tragic outcome, demonstrating the life-saving difference that well-trained emergency services make in communities throughout the Nordic region.