ODESSA, Texas —
On August 24th, what began as a simple detour after picking up their kids from their grandparents’ house, suddenly took a serious turn for Odessa resident Juan Sanchez and his wife.
“On our way out from North Greenway to Sierra, we noticed smoke and my son has been saying he wants to be a firefighter. My wife was like, let's go drive by and see if the fire department is there yet. When we got there, it's like 2 houses and behind those houses there were like 5-6 mobile homes and there was nobody outside and there was a little shed that was on fire. There was nobody outside. So, my wife decided that she's like, you know, let's let them know that there's a fire. So, we just decided to jump into action. Just knocking on doors, letting people know that show the people that the house caught on fire, they were asleep,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez was able to alert the homeowners and neighbors in time for them to get to safety before first responders arrived. The whole ordeal had left quite an impression on his son, and he made sure to tell Sanchez about it.
“His reaction was actually the first thing he said. My dad is a hero, you know? He was happy. He said that we helped the people, even though he wasn't out of the car, because I want to let him out. But he said, You know, we help the people get out of the house. Everybody's fine. And my dad is a hero. My mom helped my dad... It made me feel great, you know. The past couple of months have been kind of hard, and I've been a little down and hearing my son say that gives me a little boost,” Sanchez continued.
Not long after, Sanchez and his family visited Odessa Fire Rescue so his son could learn more about what it means to be a firefighter and see firsthand all the gear and vehicles they use. Sanchez says that it’s important for the community to look out for each other.
“Always keep an eye on your community. Check it out, you know. You never know when it could be your turn."