SKWENTNA, AK — (KTUU/NBC) - State troopers rescued an Alaskan homesteader who survived for weeks in sub-zero weather after his cabin burned down.
In mid-December Tyson Steele woke to find the roof of his cabin in flames. Steel grabbed a few supplies and managed to escape.
He set up an S-0-S in the snow and waited to be rescued.
For more than 20 days, Steele survived in a make-shift shelter using debris from his cabin along with what little food he had managed to salvage.
He was eventually rescued by a state trooper helicopter team.
"At that point, I just sat down on the ground for awhile. It was cold, I didn't have any socks in my boots, and I was just wearing pajamas at that point, and a t-shirt," said Steele. "Pineapples. I'm allergic to pineapples, but I ate them anyway because that's what I had."
"Honestly I was grateful that all my bullets blew up, because that could have been a temptation to be like 'I'm not gonna make it,' and I put myself out, right? That's a very real thought that crept up almost daily, especially on really cold nights."
Steele said he has another cabin and plans to return to the Alaskan wilderness to live and rebuild
Courtesy KTUU via NBC News Channel