WHARTON, W.Va. — When Mary Toler and her 93-year old mother Ruby Dempsey went to bed Monday night just after 10 p.m. there was some rain falling, but in no way did they expect Pond Fork, which lay 50 to 100 yards off the front porch, would be any kind of a threat.
“At 11:30 they were evacuating us and it was all the way back to here,” said Toler a day after the harrowing night.
Mark White, Chief of the nearby Wharton-Barrett Volunteer Fire Department knew Ruby well and checked in on her and her family often. When he went to do a wellness check with the water rising, he realized the one bridge over Pond Fork to access her home and a handful of neighbors was gone. The water was rising quickly and now the only access to their homes was a railroad trestle which was rapidly catching floating debris including a tool shed from the Dempsey home.
“That woman is in her 90’s. I was waiting on an ATV to get her across the trestle. I couldn’t get an ATV there. I just decided well, we’ll go this route because it was safer than trying to carry her across it for sure,” said White.
Fire chief made a risky call which saved a 93 year old woman from her flooding home. pic.twitter.com/8NviCQLhzc
— Chris Lawrence (@WVOutdoors) June 24, 2026
When he arrived at the door, he knocked repeatedly but could get no answer. At that moment, homes up the creek were in greater danger, so he went there to alert people to get up and get out of their homes as fast as possible. He returned to the Dempsey home and banged harder and louder until finally Mary awoke.
“I told her, ‘We’ve got to move and we’ve got to move now.’ You could literally see the creek rising,” he explained. “I told her I didn’t have a lot of time to explain and I know it’s hard to comprehend when you’re startled awake, but I told her I need you to get her together and I’m going to move you all to higher ground.”
White waded knee deep water to get Ruby out of her house and carried her to her daughter’s waiting car. From there, with no ATV in sight, Mark made the call to transfer her to his truck and drove her across the railroad trestle with water raging below and lapping at the sides of the span.
“By the time they got her out, the water was up to my knees getting her to my car,” said Toler.
“She sat in my truck for five and a half hours before I could get her here to the station. But I was able to provide them shelter and give them a place to be in out of the weather,” White explained.
White realized he took quite a risk, but estimated it was worth it compared to the alternative.
“A lot of people would criticize you for those sudden decisions, but I’d much rather go down swinging than to sit and watch something unfold. I’d rather answer for that, than answer for it the other way,” he said.
The water got up into the Dempsey home several inches, but she was safely moved to her other daughter’s home.