Good Samaritan punched through door to rescue 2 kids from burning Fort Worth home
A bystander driving past a burning Fort Worth home early Thursday broke through a back door and pulled two unconscious girls to safety before firefighters arrived and removed two more kids from the house. A school-age boy died in the fire, and three children were hospitalized in critical condition.
FULL STORY: School-age boy dies in Fort Worth house fire; 3 children hospitalized with burns
Here are key takeaways:
- Leon Segura was driving past the house on McCart Avenue around 3 a.m. when he heard screaming through his open truck windows. He jumped out and tried to kick down the front door but couldn’t get in because of the flames and heat.
- A child in the front yard told Segura her siblings were still inside. He ran to the back, smashed the glass door and entered with a bandana wrapped around his face, carrying two unconscious girls out one by one, he told KTVT-TV.
- Segura suffered smoke inhalation, burns on his back and cuts on his hands and arms. He was treated at a hospital, released and returned to the scene.
- “I have an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old daughter. I mean, what if it was one of my kids?” Segura told KXAS-TV. “I would want to have somebody act immediately. It’s the right thing to do.”
- Segura’s girlfriend, Rosalinda Garcia, was with him and said, “I would definitely consider him a hero,” Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported.
- Fort Worth Fire Department officials credited Segura with giving the girls “a chance at survival” and called his actions extraordinary. Firefighters arrived within a few minutes and pulled two more children from the home. Arson investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
- The American Red Cross is assisting the family. “Our hearts hurt for these children and we are holding them in our prayers as they fight for their lives,” the Fire Department said. “... As you process the heaviness and magnitude of this devastating incident, please take the time to make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home.”
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.