UPS Driver Rescues 'Disoriented' 101-Year-Old Woman from House Fire: 'She's Someone's Mother, Someone's Grandmother'
A UPS driver rushed into a burning home to save a 101-year-old woman trapped inside.
On January 15, a fire broke out in a Santa Anna, Calif. property, according to the Orange County Fire Authority, who praised neighbors and UPS driver Willy Esquivel on Facebook.
“After neighbors saw smoke, they rushed to the woman’s home, pounded on the door, and tried to help her exit safely. When she hesitated, they asked a nearby UPS driver for help, who picked her up and carried her to safety,” the organization wrote.
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As Esquivel removed the woman, identified as Ann Edwards by KTLA 5, neighbors helped fight the fire using fire extinguishers while another got onto the roof and “used a garden hose to spray water into the kitchen vent.”
Orange County Fire Authority said that first responders were able to extinguish the remainder of the fire before getting Edwards to the hospital for treatment.
Speaking to KTLA 5, Esquivel noted that he was completing a delivery in the area when he became aware of what was happening and offered to help.
He explained that he wasn’t aware of the extent of the fire until he had picked her up to leave. Then he noticed “smoke coming from the vent.”
Esquivel got Edwards to safety, saying, “She seemed very disoriented. She just kept trying to talk, but she really couldn’t get words out, so I told her it’s okay.”
The UPS driver made it clear that he doesn’t consider himself a hero, saying, “I just did what I thought was right. At the end of the day, she’s someone’s mother, someone’s grandmother, great-grandmother.”
In another interview with KTLA 5, Ann‘s son, Rick Edwards, said that he was so grateful for the neighbors and Esquivel, adding that he arrived at the home a half hour after the fire broke out.
“I’ll tell you what, Will, thank you because I bet you it took a little bit to get my mom out of there. She didn’t want to go, it sounded like. And I’ve been there, and I can tell you probably needed to use a little force,” he said.