Master Sgt. Tim Kessler

STEWARDSON, Ill. — Tim Kessler was headed to work in Sullivan, Illinois early Tuesday when he saw thick fog.

“I saw this white cloud and I knew what it was,” said Kessler, 53, of Mode, Illinios.

The white cloud was an anhydrous ammonia leak — a colorless, highly irritating gas that created the thick fog hanging low. In the moment that Kessler encountered it, minutes and even seconds mattered.

“I used to work for a fertilizer company and farm, so I knew right away what it was,” he said.

He’d been on the road less than 10 minutes when he saw a stalled car with its emergency lights blinking, barely visible within the chemical mixture.

“When I got there, I wasn’t even sure if anyone was in the car, but I wanted to check,” said Kessler, a master sergeant with the National Guard. “It was just a natural instinct. But I think everyone has that instinct when it comes to times like this.”

The huge, low-lying cloud was caused by a malfunction on a truck that was offloading anhydrous ammonia into a tank around 5:30 a.m. About 19 tons leaked out and fumes spread across portions of the community of 750 people. Effects of contact with it can include watery eyes, runny nose and potentially crippling, or even fatal, respiratory issues. Those whose skin comes in contact with the gas risk acid burns.

“I saw a car in the cloud with its lights flashing,” Kessler said. “I knew I had to do something. I went to her car, but she wouldn’t get out. She kept asking ‘what is this?’ I pulled her out of the car and said, ‘We have to get out of here.’”

Driver Holly Nichols, 19, of Stewardson, wears an ear implant, but it quit working while she was inside the car. She said she couldn’t see, due to the thick fog, or hear Kessler, who was banging on the glass window before he pulled her to safety.

Kessler, who has 32 years of military experience, carried the Lake Land College student to his car and threw it into reverse for about a half-mile.

“I didn’t even take the time to turn the car around,” said Kessler. “It was then that I looked ahead and could see her car was completely covered and was no longer visible.”

Nichols had left home to meet some friends for an early morning breakfast, before hearing about the chemical spill. She thought a normal fog had settled over her town.

But after driving into it, the engine stalled on her light blue 2015 Dodge Challenger. She was overcome by the anhydrous ammonia and tried to get help by calling 911, but she couldn’t speak well due to the effects of the fumes.

She also texted her parents, Danny and Ruthann Nichols of Stewardson.

“It wasn’t long until I was to the point where I couldn’t breathe,” said Nichols. “I tried to back out of the fog, but I knew there were big ditches on both sides of the road. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t breathe and I really didn’t know what was going on.”

It’s estimated she was stranded about 15 minutes.

“He’s a hero,” Nichols said. “I’m really thankful that (Kessler) had the courage to come save me.”

Kessler, who is married and has three children, doesn’t want to be singled out for being there at the right time.

“There were a lot of guys who did just what I did without masks on,” said Kessler. “There were several people who went door to door checking on people, telling them to get out of their houses to safety.”

Before she was spotted by Kessler, Nichols’ parents drove around searching for her. They were warned to turn back and not drive in the direction where they believed their daughter was stranded. They had help from fire and rescue squads who were also trying to find her.

Danny and Ruthann Nichols were frantically searching for their daughter, but quickly the cloud covered roads and finding her seemed impossible. During the search, Danny Nichols inhaled some of the fumes and had to be hospitalized for two days. Twenty people in all received decontamination showers and medical evaluations before being released home.

“The 911 dispatchers told her to put on her flashers,” said Danny Nichols. “Her engine was stalled. Nobody could get to her. Nobody could find her.”

Danny and Ruthann Nichols call Kessler an angel sent down that day to find their daughter. They eventually were reunited with the entire family, including their two cats that they collected from home.

As it turned out, Kessler and Danny Nichols went to high school together at Stewardson-Strasburg. However, Kessler didn’t know the girl he was rescuing.

“Tim (Kessler) saved her life; there’s no doubt,” said Danny Nichols.

Schabbing writes for (Illinois) Effingham Daily News.