California man baffled fire survivors and bystanders when he ran into burning building — his bravery saved a woman's life
If there is an emergency situation, the initial instinct is to get away from danger and save ourselves. While we might try to save our loved ones, it’s hard to think about others when our own life is at stake. However, a brave man, Erik Mendez, rushed into a flaming Grand Manor Apartments in Spring Valley, California, to help others, per CBS 8 News. The man, a complete stranger to the residents, didn’t hesitate to run straight into the building to help people in need. His actions saved a woman’s life and became an inspiration to many.
The man who lives down the street from the apartment saw smoke and rushed onto the scene. A fire that had broken out in the patio area was quickly spreading to all units in the apartment. Families were rushing out, there was a lot of chaos and everyone was trying to hurry out of the building. At the same time, the man shocked everyone by running in the opposite direction inside the building. "When I was running down, I saw the smoke and the flames just boom, bright orange, red, smoke, flames, everything," Erik recalled. He had no plan or specification as such. His motive was to go in and rescue whoever might be in need.
Mendez ran into the building and tried his best to make his way into the apartments and staircases to see if anyone was stuck. With the thick, black smoke, it was hard for him to see anything at all. He had to make sounds to alert anyone stuck that he was there to help. "I kicked the door and immediately, black smoke just hit me. And then I started screaming, 'Hey, anybody inside? Anybody inside?' and I started banging on the wall,” the brave man said. As the man was running about, he dashed into a blanket. In moments, Mendez realized this might be a person covered and quickly tried to get them to safety.
"The next thing I know, I run into a blanket and I put my arm around it. I could tell it was their back. I could tell it was a person. I brought her down the stairs; she was in front of me and we came out to the street,” he shared with CBS 8 San Diego. The person in the blanket was a woman. Luckily, she wasn’t harmed or injured by the mishap and was brought out to safety by Mendez. When she got out, she took a glance at the man who saved her life and said, “I think I’m going to be okay.”
The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and made it to safety. When asked about his unexpected action, Mendez noted that it was just a humane thing to do. "It was pretty scary. But I have a family and sometimes you just have to do the right thing,” he remarked. @Helloooooo95 said, "Can you be my neighbor?! Talk about character." @youewe remarked, "Thank you, sir! You saved a life."