David Mason, a 19-year-old, was playing games on his computer in the early hours of Sunday 14 April 2024. The other five members of the family were fast asleep. If David had also been sleeping, all six members of the family would have been lost. David smelt the smoke, and realising there was a fire he was able to rouse the family and call the emergency services.
As the flames had taken hold and the staircase was aflame, the family had to jump from the upstairs bedroom windows. David became trapped in his bedroom and had to escape via a drainpipe into the rear garden. In all the confusion it was realised that Ethan was still inside. David’s father, Barry, immediately crawled back into the burning house beneath the smoke level and was able to rescue Ethan by shepherding him to the rear door into the garden. Sadly, shortly afterwards Barry lost his life at Wigan Infirmary as a result of rescuing Ethan and two days later Ethan, who was just four years and nine months old, died at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
The house had been gutted with the flames reaching and destroying the roof. Due to the trauma of the event, Barry’s father John was not able to go to lodge meetings for a good while because of the need to support his family in this devastating trauma.
The Fire Brigade Commander for Wigan and Bolton wrote: “I hope you and your family can take pride in the heroic actions taken by your son David and Barry, in valiantly attempting to save his family. The fire was ferocious and unyielding but Barry’s bravery in the face of such conditions cannot be overstated.”
Wigan Group Chairman, John Selley, encouraged John Mason to attend Bryn Lodge No 6553 junior brethren meeting. When the ceremony had concluded, John Selly rose to address the brethren. He told the assembled brethren that lodges and chapters in the Wigan Group had contributed to a fund to help Barry’s widow Rachel and the children. When John Selley announced the amount beginning with eight, John Mason thought wow, £800, that is amazing! However, his next word wasn’t ‘hundred’ but ‘thousand’. John Mason received a cheque that evening for £8,000 from the Wigan Group.
Rachel had lost her husband, her 4-year-old son and all their clothing, furniture, kitchen appliances, toys and her home which was gutted and uninhabitable. When John Mason phoned Rachel to tell her about the cheque the line went very quiet. John repeated what he had said and he heard the single word: “Wow!” She wasn’t able to say anything else and the call ended with tears. The cheque gave the family hope and the knowledge that they were part of a much wider Masonic family. When Rachel had recovered from the news, she asked John to convey her gratitude which he now does.