Mr. Barnes rescued a young girl from a boat that exploded in Ladysmith Harbour, British Columbia, on May 22, 1993. Mr. Barnes was heading out on a fishing trip when he heard the explosion. He quickly turned back to the scene where he found several passengers from the boat who had jumped to safety in a dinghy. They yelled to tell him there was still a child trapped onboard. Mr. Barnes immediately jumped onto the burning craft, grabbed the child and dove into the water, minutes before a second explosion destroyed the vessel.