Man gets state award for 2005 fire rescue

~ Merle Nipper pulled his Perry County neighbors from a burning basement.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Merle Nipper may not think of himself as a hero, but Friday night he was honored as one.

On March 23, 2005, Nipper, 56, rushed into his neighbor's burning home off Route D in Perry County to rescue the elderly couple. He braved smoke and flames to pull Fred and Kathleen Reinwald from the basement of their home. At the time, and even now, Nipper doesn't think anything of it.

"I didn't do anything nobody else wouldn't have done," he said.

But former East Perry County Rural Fire Department chief Jared Unterreiner made sure Nipper was recognized.

Friday night, Nipper was presented with the Lifesaving Award from the State Fire Marshal's Office.

"I've only heard about these awards given out," said Unterreiner, who was chief at the time of the fire.

State fire inspector Robert Francis said that in five years in his position, this was the first time the award had been handed out in the area.

Nipper and his family gathered with Kathleen Reinwald, 81, and her son, Rick, at the sight of the blaze Friday night. Fred Reinwald died June 9, 2005, from an infection as a result of injuries suffered in the blaze.

The families shared the story of Nipper's rescue and how coincidence played a roll in it.

Early on March 23, the Reinwalds visited Nipper to use his telephone to call about their newly installed furnace, which had broken down. After they left, Nipper noticed Fred Reinwald had forgotten his hat.

When he drove down the mile stretch of Route D to return it, he stumbled upon a blaze in his neighbor's basement; the couple's wood-burning stove had set fire to nearby crates.

"It was fate," Rick Reinwald said of Nipper coming by the home.

Hearing Kathleen Reinwald cry out for help, Nipper ventured into the basement several times to pull the couple out. After finally rescuing them, Nipper rushed off to call the fire department, which saved the home.

While Unterreiner warned rushing into a burning home was not recommended, he admitted he probably would have done the same thing.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127