Imagine fighting your way into an inferno where flames, intense heat and choking smoke come at you as you try to rescue a person trapped inside a burning home.

I cannot imagine.

But I am forever grateful to those who do exactly that as they try to save lives and property in our communities.

This column is meant to reflect the efforts of firefighters all over our county and region.

They all make sacrifices.

So do their families.

Yet they do what they do while scraping for funds to keep their equipment and buildings operational.

Folks, it’s been a very cold winter, a time when we’re all counting on heating sources to keep us warm and comfortable.

But with that heat comes risk, especially with direct flame and ashes from wood, coal, pellet or corn stoves.

In the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 9, fire broke out in a building along High Street in Flemington Borough in Clinton County while the residents slept.

Three people escaped; one did not.

An 18-year-old woman was trapped, and despite two residents’ and subsequently firefighters’ efforts to gain access amid spreading flames and heavy smoke, they could not get to her in time.

One life lost.

A family’s dwelling is gone.

In fact, three homes in total were damaged or destroyed.

Rest in peace, Alissa Shayla Demanno.

Fires are, sadly, too common this time of year as heating systems work harder amid bitter cold, outside temperatures.

In this case, the fire’s cause so far is unknown and I certainly am not suggesting how the fire may have started.

I had the occasion to visit Citizens Hose Co. No. 5 – Station 6 – in Lock Haven on Feb. 13.

Its members were among some 100 firefighters who responded to the Feb. 9 blaze.

In fact, Chief Eric Brungard and Firefighter Carl Houtz told me that morning of an overnight fire on Bald Eagle Street that did some tremendous damage.

You could see the tiredness on their faces.

It’s been a busy time for our emergency responders.

Carl Houtz told me he is a third-generation firefighter.

He’s been a firefighter for over 40 years.

In fact, his son, Dustin Houtz, is chief of neighboring Goodwill Hose Fire Co. in Flemington.

Dustin Houtz and the Goodwill firefighting and ambulance team played a lead role in dousing the High Street fire, working to rescue and care for the victims.

I walked around Citizens Hose.

The smell of smoke permeated the air as firefighters’ gear was strewn about in preparation for washing and cleaning.

And then I came upon some helmets.

The fronts were scorched.

You know, when an image paints a thousand words.

God, I thought, how did they not get burned?

It gave me the chills to think how our firefighters literally face death as they make their way into burning buildings, knowing someone is trapped.

I want to get back to “scraping for funds.”

Making even a small donation to your local fire company is an investment in your safety.

The return you get could be lifesaving.”

Bob Rolley is a retired publisher of The Williamsport Sun-Gazette community newspaper.