Submitted by Doloris B. Biddulph

On Wednesday January 13th, Nyack College Men's Soccer player Conor Ike was in the African country of Ghana where his family resides and was in the middle of an annual camping trip with his Ghanaian friends and other local residents. They climbed on a TroTro (vingt deux place), to head to a small mountain where they planned to hike and camp for the night. They brought along a live chicken which they would use for food the next day. They also took along (a little reluctantly) three short-term American students.

As the group climbed the mountain, it suddenly heard the roar and felt the intense heat of a bush fire. The wind had shifted and it was heading directly towards the hikers. They thought they could climb onto a rock to escape but when they saw the height of the flames (20') they realized their only choice was to run. Conor, with a torn ACL and brace on his knee, led the way through seven foot high grass and over rocks. The rest followed. The heat was so intense that the plastic water bottles they were holding melted. They lost their water, chicken, machetes, cameras, backpacks, shoes, and other equipment.

Conor's injured knee buckled, he fell to the ground and tumbled down the mountain. He finally landed, exhausted, in a clear spot and knew he could not go on. If the fire came, he would run through it. In the meantime, the others continued to run. One of the girls fell when vines entangled her legs. Conor’s friend Evans stopped to help her, feeling the heat of the fire on their backs. They finally reached another large rock and were trapped there. They gathered on the rock, encircling each other, sobbing and praying together, knowing if the fire didn't stop they would all die. As they prayed, they watched the fire rush to the rock and suddenly extinguish itself. An amazing miracle! They started calling for Conor. With the all the noise, they couldn't hear him at first and thought he had perished. They finally heard his shouts. What a relief! They whole time they were separated, all Conor thought about was the safety of his friends.

The campers went ahead and spent the night at the top of the mountain. Evans and Conor were the only ones who were able to set up camp as the others were, understandably, in shock. They were able to find a few of their possessions, but Conor lost his camera. The chicken never stood a chance. They arrived back home this week, black, from the soot. Conor has grass cuts all over his arms and water on his knee but is doing fine.