ignited flame
I had to quit firefighting after the ghost of a man I couldn’t save terrorised me – I’ll never recover from the trauma
A fireman had his world turned upside down, and a 'dream' job destroyed by a ghost that haunted him.
Chris Sanders witnessed many atrocities as a fireman, but 'nothing scared' him more than the petrifying paranormal encounters.
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In the latest episode of Eli Roth's A Ghost Ruined My Life, Chris tells his unforgettable story as he fights to restore normality in his life.
The terrifying, unexplained attacks began after the fireman could not save a man he had gotten familiar with earlier in the day.
Chris was passionate about saving and helping people, so he worked hard to achieve his lifetime goal and dream of rescuing people from tragic events by becoming a firefighter.
His 'dream' job soon turned into a nightmare and had him fearing for his own life while also becoming the one needing help.
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It was a typical day when Chris was stopped by a man named Robert on his way to work.
Robert explained his interest in becoming a firefighter to Chris, telling him that he had tried out for the job but never passed his tests.
Being the kind-hearted and good-natured individual that he was, Chris thought nothing of it and offered to help him out, inviting him in for a chat at the fire station later that day.
Chris recalled: "I was hoping for a relaxing day at the fire department, typical day."
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Not long after his shift started, Chris and his co-workers were called out to an emergency involving a fatal accident.
The band of firefighters lived by one rule when it came to such accidents - don't make eye contact with the deceased.
Chris explained: "They can cause a lot of nightmares, night terrors for us, that kind of thing."
When the fire squad reached the scene of the accident, Chris panicked and accidentally broke the code when he realised that Robert - the man who, like him, had dreams of becoming a firefighter - lay there dead.
Chris was shaken to the core when Robert's lifeless body jerked up and returned to life, begging him for help.
Chris described the heart-stopping moment: "When I recognised that this was the guy I had the conversation with in the morning, I was run with emotions. My heart was racing really bad.
"I thought he did survive, but I had to come back to the realisation that he was really dead."
Things only got weirder as Chris started to experience even stranger events once he and the team returned to the fire department.
Lights flickered occasionally, and he could hear strange sounds around the building, which frightened the life out of him as he reflected: "I had no idea my life was about to turn upside down."
He tried to put the bizarre episode behind him and move on, but when he arrived home 'depressed' and shaken later that night, he was met with blood-curdling sounds with his house lights flickering.
Chris felt backed up in a corner but 'didn't know where to turn' and what to do but hoped it wouldn't get 'that bad', so he tried to brush it off as an isolated incident.
He admitted: "I was freaked out."
'It really wanted me to know that something was there and it needed attention."
As the days went by, the supernatural occurrences became more frequent, which caused a strain on his relationship with long-time partner Ava whom Chris dubbed a sceptic.
She refused to believe him and put it down to hallucinations even though she would witness some incidents herself.
This left Chris feeling even more 'alone' and frustrated by what was happening, which caused conflicted in their relationship.
He said: "A lot of things happened in our home that were unexplained, and she would blame it on me."
Another scary incident occurred when Chris thought he saw an eye staring back at him after he looked through an ajar wardrobe.
Separately, Chris recalled going into the shower and the water levels reaching scorching temperatures without his interference with the word 'Liar' imprinted on the mirror.
Chris confessed: "It really freaked me out.
"It started getting more aggressive."
He soon uncovered what had been haunting him as he added: "I realised that the spirit haunting me was the driver from the accident, Robert."
"I felt like I was stuck in a terror."
The paranormal activities continued as Chris started having nightmares of being in a car accident and Robert dousing him with fire and setting him alight, but only to wake up in hot sweats and seeing a ghost.
Chris admitted: "Things were getting worse. I didn't know what to do.'
Tortured and scared by the events, Chris took some time out of work to focus on his mental health.
But as things continued to deteriorate and tensions arose in his household, Ava ended up leaving him.
A clearly upset Chris said: "It was very traumatising and upsetting.
“I wanted to move on, and it won't allow me to live my life."
Chris decided to get his life back in control and reached out to Robert's sister - whom he had met by chance - so they could figure out why Robert was haunting him and finally lay him to rest.
The two organised a spiritual séance in search of answers to find out why Robert's ghost had a vendetta against him.
Robert revealed that he was angry at Chris for not saving him.
Chris demanded that Robert moved on and left him alone, insisting he couldn't have done anything to save him.
He recalled: "I felt a big relief.
"I never thought it was going to be as bad as it was.
"It was the first time anything like that has ever happened to me.
"It was the first time a spirit attached itself to me and caused a lot of chaos and pain."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"I've recovered from the haunting, but I don't believe I'll ever recover from the incident."
Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life is available to watch on discovery+.
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