“I woke up this morning and started smelling smoke. It kind of smelled like charcoal,” Brian Caprini, one of the fire victim’s said.
Brian Caprini woke up to an unexpected Saturday morning at his apartment complex.
According to San Miguel Fire, it happened around 9 this morning.
When they arrived, they found six-unit apartments damaged by the smoke.
“Then, I started hearing like a series of pops, like spray paint cans possibly exploding, they were just like small pops,” Brian Caprini said.
When Caprini saw the building was up in flames, he immediately got his family out.
Shortly after, Erik Mendez, a neighbor saw the dark plume of smoke.
He ran to help get everyone out to safety.
“I started knocking on the door, and I started knocking on it, I could feel on my hand it was real hot and it had a little mailbox slot and I flipped it open with my hand and black smoke came out…I was like Oh man, this isn’t good,” Mendez said.
He kept knocking on the door, but no one answered.
“Honestly, I just prayed, get this door open, keep whoever is inside safe and we’ll see what happens,” Mendez said.
Mendez said he kicked the door in, then started yelling to see if anyone was inside. When
Mendez says he kicked( he did say he kicked it in, right?) the door in, then started yelling to see if anyone was inside.
“I started banging on the walls, and it was pitch black, I couldn’t see anything,” Mendez said.
He said that’s when he heard something upstairs.
Mendez said he used the wall as his guide to make the rescue.
“I had my hand out and as I was going like this, I came across a flannel blanket, and it was upright, so I knew it was probably a person. So, I put my hand around it and I realized it was a human person, so I grabbed them. I didn’t know if it was a man or a woman at the time. I picked her up and then I made my way backwards down the stairs, turned around, got her out,” Mendez said.
Mendez said he did what he hopes someone else would do if he or his family needed help.
“Right place, right time, someone was watching over her. I said my little prayer going in and I knew God was on my side,” Mendez said.
He didn’t just save someone’s life, he also noticed his neighbor, Brian, in a moment of need.
“He was kind of standing at the fence you know, assessing the situation. You know, I’m sure he had a shocking morning. So, I just said, hey bro are you good? Are you alright? He said, yeah man, I got my family out, you know that’s the main thing, and he goes but everything is gone. My phone’s gone, my wallet is gone, everything is burned, gone, I don’t even have shoes. All I have now, is what I have on and he was wearing some basketball shorts and some socks,” Mendez said.
“He asked me what size shoe I was, I said 9.5, 10, and he goes, alright, I’ve got you and he came back with a pair of shoes, socks, and a hoodie for me. He doesn’t want to let me know where he lives so I can repay him. Kindness goes a long way, the humbleness to essentially give your shoes and shirt off your back to help someone else in need,” Caprini said.
“I’m a family man, and to see another man down, you know…it hurt,” Mendez said.
Despite the losses and damages to their property, this community is grateful they have each other’s back to move forward.
The red cross is helping displaced families.
San Miguel Fire said the cause is still under investigation.