William “Junie” Bullock, left, was a Richmond firefighter for 18 years, during which time he heroically rescued several residents from the ninth floor of the Boxwood Building at Imperial Plaza on Bellevue Avenue. The 79-year-old Richmond native has never been recognized for his heroics on June 11, 1978. He shares memories of that day with retired firefighter Jack R. McIntyre, 72, who was driving the Company 46 ladder truck that enabled Mr. Bullock to gain entry to the top floor of the building.
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‘No one handed out medals’
Retired Richmond fireman recalls heroic work saving elderly residents in fire 44 years ago
As the firetrucks roared up, an elderly woman was screaming for help out of a half-open window as smoke billowed around her. She would be the first person that firefighter William“Junie” Bullock would rescue that day from the ninth floor of the Boxwood Building at Imperial Plaza, a five-building complex for retirees located on Bellevue Avenue in North Side that had opened 11 years earlier.