>> helicopter pilot gary dolen heard the call from dispatch. >> what did you hear on the call? >> all available helicopters prepare for an emergency launch. i'd been doing 28 years and never heard that terminology before. so i just jumped in and started it up. >> with that, gary was on a tear to get to the trapped men ten miles away. >> on fire. the smoke all over 30,000 feet. okay, we're right over the fire there with the guys. >> we got in our fire shelters right over here and then we heard the helicopter. >> i saw the fire shelters below me and looked out this way and i just saw the wall of fire coming. >> you could tell that if they stayed in those fire shelters -- >> they were going to die.