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The teacher who helped a girl who was lit on fire by a fellow student at a Saskatoon school in 2024 has been recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund.
The Pittsburgh-based fund recognizes individuals who “enter into extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others” in both Canada and the United States. On Wednesday, Saskatoon’s Sean Hayes joined the list of 10,563 people who have been recognized for their heroics by the fund.
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On September 5, a 15-year-old girl was doused in gasoline and set on fire in a hallway of Evan Hardy Collegiate. According to a statement issued by the fund, Hayes quickly instructed a colleague to call 9-1-1, then tried to roll the burning victim on the ground to extinguish the flames.
“Hayes then attempted to pat out the flames using his hands, at which point he realized the flames had jumped to his own clothing. He stood and pressed himself against a set of nearby lockers in an effort to extinguish the flames on him before removing his overshirt and T-shirt,” the fund said in a statement.
“Hayes then used the overshirt to pat out the flames on the girl’s body before requesting a co-worker’s shirt after Hayes’ overshirt had been damaged by the flames. The co-worker handed the shirt to Hayes, who used it to continue patting out the flames.”
The teacher was relieved by a school police officer, the fund explained, but when he saw that puddles of gas were still burning on the hallway floor he grabbed a fire extinguisher and put them out as others helped the victim.
“The girl suffered burns to 40 percent of her body and was hospitalized about three months; she recovered,” the fund noted.
“Hayes suffered burns to the left side of his body, including his face, neck, side, and hand; he recovered.”
The 16-year-old girl behind the attack, who cannot be named due to her age, was handed a three-year sentence for attempted murder earlier this month – the maximum under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act, with two years of the sentence to be served in custody.
Hayes has since moved to a different school in Saskatoon.
According to the Carnegie Hero Fund, Hayes will receive a financial grant along with a medal.
Since it was first established in 1904 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the fund has handed out $46 million in one-time grants, scholarship assistance, death benefits and continuing assistance.
–with files from The Canadian Press
