'I felt so close to him,' says teen who saved man from tent fire at Hamilton encampment

A teenager and the man he saved from a tent engulfed in flames are forming an unlikely friendship.

Zeke Fox, 17, dragged Shawn Goodwin to safety on the night of Jan. 5 as a fire destroyed the 53-year-old's encampment at Bayfront Park in Hamilton. 

Since then, Fox has visited Goodwin several times in Hamilton General Hospital's burn unit and plans to keep doing so. 

"I felt so close to him after the fire," Fox said in an interview. "You go through something like that with someone and you feel like you're almost family." 

CBC reported previously on Fox's actions, which earned him a certificate of commendation from Mayor Andrea Horwath for his "extraordinary courage." 

Recently, Fox and Goodwin spoke to CBC Hamilton from the man's hospital room as he recovers from severe burns on his chest, back and arm.

Goodwin said Fox is a special person and he too wants to keep the friendship going. 

"Not a lot of people run towards a fire," Goodwin said.

Goodwin said he'd been living at Bayfront Park for about two years. The night of the fire, he'd gone to bed around 11 p.m., and the next thing he remembers was Fox pulling him out of the burning tent.

Goodwin said he doesn't know what caused the fire.  

Tent became 'massive fireball'

Fox was driving home from a friend's house when he saw a cloud of black smoke. He said he parked his car, traced the smoke to a tent, called his mom and told her to call 911. 

"There were a few small pops and then the tent went up in a massive fireball right in front of me," Fox said. "I heard Shawn screaming, and that's when I knew I had to help him." 

Fox said he ran over, opened the tent door and was met with a blast of heat. He found Goodwin trapped under a tarp and quickly freed him, dragged him outside and made him roll around in the snow.

Police and paramedics arrived shortly after and took them to different hospitals.

Fox said he was having trouble breathing, and had scratches and marks on his face and arms. He was released about five hours later from McMaster Children's Hospital. 

But with memories of the fire and what could've gone wrong racing through his mind, Fox said he was intent on connecting with the man he'd saved.

When he saw Goodwin again, they soon discovered they both love the outdoors. Fox realized he'd seen him at the park before.

"When I was fishing down there, he'd come by and sit by the water," Fox said. "We do have a lot in common, surprisingly." 

On housing waitlist for years

Goodwin said he has experienced homelessness for years. A lack of affordable housing options and addiction played a role, he said, noting he has been sober for a while and has been on the city's housing waitlist for close to a decade.

"My hope is to get into some kind of housing, something where I can lock my door, and walk away and feel secure," he said. "That's all I want." 

Goodwin's father, George Goodwin, 81, lives in Cornwall, Ont., and told CBC Hamilton he got a call from police informing him of the fire. The pair have spoken on the phone every day since.

He's used to Goodwin showing up in his life and then disappearing for a while, but hopes his son will stay with him to recover and then finds some kind of housing.

Fox rescuing Goodwin is "pretty remarkable," George said. 

Fox has been fundraising to help Goodwin in his recovery and will continue to visit him whenever he has a chance.

He's graduating from high school this year and said his goal is to become a police officer. 

"That feeling knowing I helped Shawn when there was no one else around that could — that just solidified it for me."