The COO of St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Gulfcoast Eye Care rescued an 86-year-old woman and her dog from a home fire, Spectrum News reported Aug. 28.
Alex Delgado was in the Gulfcoast's office the morning of Aug. 27 when he noticed smoke outside the window.
Mr. Delgado, a former Marine, told Spectrum News that he wasn't supposed to be in the office that day, but made an unexpected trip and noticed the smoke. When he arrived at the home, he said flames were traveling from one side of the house to the main part of the property.
He alerted a man inside the house that the residence was on fire, and the man's grandmother was also home. Mr. Delgado told Spectrum News that the grandmother only spoke Vietnamese and was blind.
"When I saw there was a little bit of noncompliance and she was a little bit agitated, I just, unfortunately, had to pick her up and take her outside the home to safety," said Mr. Delgado. She was also carrying the family dog.
"He’s a lifesaver," homeowner Khuong Nguyen said of Mr. Delgado. "I don’t know how much I appreciate what he did for my mom. Without my mom, I probably couldn’t survive."
Mr. Nguyen's daughter-in-law, who also lived in the house, is pregnant and expected to give birth in a week. Neighbors of the family have set up a GoFundMe to support their recovery.