On a hot summer afternoon in August, while Vancouver Island was under fire bans and fighting dry conditions, a Habitat for Humanity ReStore duo, out on a routine donation pick-up, found themselves at the center of an emergency that would test not just their instincts, but the very values that shape Habitat’s organization.

Eric and Chaim, two members of the Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North (Habitat VIN) team, were driving along the Old Island Highway near Courtenay when a faint but unmistakable smell wafted through the truck.

“It might’ve smelled like a really bad barbecue,” Eric recalled. “We looked down this driveway as we drove by - just a little wisp of smoke - and I said, ‘Chaim, is it crazy if we turn around and check it out?’”

It wasn’t crazy. It was lifesaving.

Within moments, the two found themselves racing down a gravel driveway where a fire had already taken hold of a mobile trailer. Flames were spreading rapidly. Propane tanks were exploding. A woman was dragging her dog to safety, and no other than Jon Toogood, one of the founding members of Habitat VIN, was desperately trying to battle the flames with a garden hose. “They had no water pressure. He was trying to save his home with next to nothing,” recalls Eric.

Chaim immediately dialled 911 as Eric jumped into action.

By the time the first fire trucks arrived, Eric had already pulled Jon's truck away from the fire and was physically dragging him from the burning shed.

“He came out with the mower and I yelled, ‘Jon, we have many of these at the ReStore!’” Eric recalled. “But he just kept trying to go back in. I finally had to grab him and drag him out. That smoke, it’ll kill you in seconds.”

From that point forward, it was all hands on deck. With no road crews on the scene yet, Chaim, who had his safety vest on, directed traffic for over an hour, clearing the road so fire trucks could get through. Eight fire trucks responded in total.

“No one asked who we were or why we were there. We were just part of the team now. It gave me a whole new level of respect for firefighters. There were massive trees hanging right over the trailer. If those had caught, it could’ve been an absolute disaster. But the fire crews showed up and just handled it. They contained the blaze before it spread to the forest or neighbouring homes. Watching them work, I was in awe. It was intense. Those guys are something else.” - Chaim Black

The Habitat for Humanity mission is to bring people together to build homes, community, and hope. On that day, those words became action.

“We’re not just helping build houses,” Eric said. “When you're in a Habitat truck, you carry responsibility. You’re a part of the community. You stop when others drive by. You help when you can.”

For Eric, the experience was especially personal. His own home had burned down years earlier. But when confronted with another fire, instinct took over.

“You don’t think,” he said. “You just do. You save the person. That’s priority one.”

Chaim, relatively new to the team, spoke highly of the mentorship and culture he’s experienced since joining Habitat.

“Eric’s just a super cool guy. He’s goofy, driven, kind. It’s contagious, he makes me want to show up every day and do my best.”

This mutual respect and shared sense of purpose seem to define Habitat’s team culture - whether at the ReStore, picking up donations, or stepping into an emergency. And in an incredible twist of fate, it helped someone who helped start it all in our region.

“It’s like Sesame Street out there!” Eric added. “But it’s true. Things get unpredictable. So we look out for our neighbours, keeping an eye on the community.”

Thanks to the swift action of this Habitat duo and the fire department, Jon is alive. His home, though damaged, was saved from total destruction. And an ordinary workday turned into a testament to what’s possible when people act fast and show up for each other.

“There’s this idea - the bystander effect - where everyone thinks someone else will do something,” Eric said. “We just didn’t wait.”

It’s not something they planned. It’s not even something they’d brag about. But it’s the kind of quiet heroism that builds stronger communities, brick by brick, one good deed at a time.