Shown is the scene of a fire that took place the morning of August 19 on the 1300 block of Filmore Street in Harlingen, where an elderly man had to be helped out of a burning home. (Courtesy photos)
By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com
An off-duty San Benito firefighter went above and beyond the proverbial call of duty Thursday morning when he assisted in pulling an elderly man from a burning home.
Joe Ramos, a driver and 20-year veteran of the San Benito Fire Department, sprung to action after coming upon a house emitting black smoke in Harlingen, this while driving home at approximately 8:10 a.m. on the morning of Aug. 18.
He said his shift had just ended when he noticed the smoke on the 1300 block of Filmore. Ramos, 42, said he spotted a mother and her 8-year-old son outside the house in question.
“I just thought that wasn’t normal, because obviously you can tell when something is more than what it is, so I went by there expecting to see cops and stuff and there was nobody around,” Ramos said. “There were no police or firefighters there yet, just the kid holding a window open, and a man looking inside but he couldn’t do anything.”
The window Ramos was referring to belonged to the room of a 75-year-old disabled man, who, according to the San Benito firefighter, was still inside and “moaning.”
“We were calling out and the guy was moaning in there, but from what it sounded like he was on the far end of the room. There was no way we could go in,” Ramos said.
It wasn’t until Harlingen police arrived that Ramos and two officers managed to pull the elderly man from the window, but not before they suffered smoke inhalation themselves and transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center as a result.
“It was quite a different drive home than normal,” Ramos said with a laugh. “I was okay, and I think the other Harlingen police officers were, too.”
Harlingen firefighters then worked to extinguish the blaze. The cause of the fire reportedly remains under investigation. Meanwhile, the condition of the elderly man was unclear as of presstime but was last reported as recovering.
In the meantime, Ramos said he just so happened to be in the right place at the right time.
“You’re already wired into being in action, I guess… to be involved. You have indicators that something isn’t right. You kind of identify that right away, and if you have the training to do something, and possibly to someone’s benefit, do it,” Ramos said. “You’re programmed to act. There was somebody needing help, so I helped. Otherwise it might have ended up different for the man. You never know.”
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Aug. 21 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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