As Anival Angelo walked the streets near Bonanza & Eastern, he was surprised to hear children screaming for help. The man followed the desperate pleas, but, as he got closer, his eyes started to burn from the thick, grey smoke in the air.
The house at 2612 Mesquite Avenue was on fire. A group of hysterical neighbors had already begun to gather, and Anival learned two children were still stuck inside.
As Anival approached the burning residence, he saw the two children through the window.
“I went to the door and saw the babies so I jumped the fence,” he told KSNV (obtained via AJC).
Jumping the locked fence, Anival approached the house. Although the main door was locked by a sturdy deadbolt, he was able to pull the locked, security door open.
When Anival entered the burning building, the three-year-old girl immediately ran up to him and clung on to his waist. Soon, he noticed the leg of a 10-month-old boy nearby and quickly pulled him to safety, as well.
“I wrapped up the babies and pulled them out.”
“I knew I had to get them out.”
Since risking his life to save the children, Anival’s been praised as a “true hero”.
Tim Szymanski, with Las Vegas Fire Rescue, even credits the man with saving the kids’ lives. In an interview with KSNV, he said:
“It’s obvious if this person hadn’t been there, these children could’ve been burned or may have been killed in the fire.”
According to a report by the United States Fire Administration, children less than 10 years old make up 11% of fire fatalities in residential homes— with 90% of total fatalities being attributed to thermal burns and smoke inhalation. Luckily, in this case, the children didn’t become a statistic.
According to media reports, the children had been dropped off at their grandfather’s house earlier that morning, where he inadvertently started the fire while cooking french fries and chicken.
As the flames grew, the older man was forced into the back of the apartment. Neighbors helped him escape the danger, but he still couldn’t reach his grandchildren at the front of the house, inside.
As mentioned, the Las Vegas Fire Rescue credits Anival for saving the children’s lives.
Instead of being faced with death, they only had to be treated for minor smoke inhalation. According to reports, the fire ultimately caused $50,000 worth of damages.
After the everything, the Las Vegas Fire Rescue took to Twitter to share Aniva’s good deed with the world. In a tweet dated December 2, 2017, they wrote:
“RIGHT PLACE/RIGHT TIME: Anival Angel0, 36, currently homeless in Las Vegas saw smoke coming from the front door of an apartment- heard 2 kids crying.”
“With bare hands pulled LOCKED security door open and brought both kids out from the inferno inside.”
RIGHT PLACE / RIGHT TIME: Anival Angelo, 36, currently homeless in Las Vegas saw smoke coming from the front door of an apartment-heard 2 kids crying. With bare hands pull LOCKED security door open and brought both kids out from the inferno inside. Kids R OK PIO1 pic.twitter.com/7MvXeqRfEU
— Las Vegas FireRescue (@LasVegasFD) December 1, 2017
Since being uploaded to YouTube, Anival’s story has been viewed thousands of times.
See it for yourself below!
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