Jim Douglas was one of the more than a 100 workers at the candle factory.
December 14, 2021, 8:05 PM
• 5 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleJim Douglas, a father of two, was one of the more than 100 workers who were inside a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, when a deadly slew of tornadoes ripped across the region Friday.
Douglas said he was trapped under rubble for four hours after the roof of the factory caved in.
A man searches for victims while climbing past the collapsed roof of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., Dec. 13, 2021.
“The roof lifted up and I was right next to a wall and it's like the roof slammed down and then the wall came down on top of me,” he told World News Tonight anchor David Muir. “You couldn't see nothing because of the dust and stuff, and then you just hear people just screaming out for help and terrorized.
Douglas was buried under 15 to 20 feet of debris. He said that everything but one of his arms was pinned to the heap and that it quickly became difficult to breathe.
"It was cutting off my breathing," Douglas said. "I was at the very bottom … And my face was sideways."
Douglas then began to hear other co-workers calling out for help and was able to find the voice of one co-worker nearby, who was also trapped, he said.
"She talked to me for the better part of an hour and [the rescuers] got her freed," he said.
Search and rescue crews work at the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory early Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in Mayfield, Ky.
Soon after, rescuers began to dig for Douglas, who was trapped under steel and iron beams. He said that they had to pull him through a glass door frame to free him.
"[The rescuer] said, 'Close your eyes as tight as you can … We're going to bust this glass and we're going to pull you through the door frame,'" Douglas recalled. "I closed my eyes and they busted it. They just pulled me straight up and I just seen all them faces."
When he emerged, he said he saw the human chain of rescuers who had helped pull him free.
Jim Douglas pictured standing for the first time on Dec. 13.
"I'm just seeing these faces and [all I could think] was, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you,'" he said.
On Monday night, Douglas was able to stand for the first time since he was rescued and he reports that he is on the mend.
As of Monday night, it has been confirmed that at least 74 Kentucky residents were killed in the tornado outbreak over the weekend, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Mayfield Consumer Products, who owns the candle factory, has established an emergency fund to assist employees and their families.
