Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Sheldon | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza, a mass communication specialist with the 69th...... read more read more
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What started out as a typical day for Staff Sgt. Eddie Siguenza quickly turned into anything but.
As Siguenza, a mass communications specialist noncommissioned officer, headed out the door Friday morning, Sept. 18, he kissed his wife Denise goodbye. It was their 24th wedding anniversary and they were looking forward to a romantic dinner date that evening.
He got in his car and took his usual route to work at the California Military Department headquarters in Sacramento. As he was driving, something unusual caught his attention. Dark smoke and flames were burning from an apartment complex nearby.
Siguenza quickly pulled over and jumped out of his car, noticing that there were no emergency vehicles on the scene. He asked some bystanders if anyone called 911 and was told that the fire department had been notified and was on the way.
Concerned that someone might still be inside, Siguenza ran into the burning, smoke-filled apartment and crawled on his hands and knees on the floor, shouting out for anyone who might need help. Dark smoke filled the apartment, making it difficult so see.
Not deterred, he kept calling out to see if anyone was trapped. Fortunately, no one was.
“Intense heat was building inside, so I got down on the ground and started yelling, ‘Is anyone here? Can anyone hear me? Can you get out?’” he said. “Little particles of glass were popping like firecrackers and flying around, and some of it landed on top of my hands and head.”
Unfazed by the flames, he and another bystander then ran toward the adjoining apartment to look for anyone that might still be inside that unit. To his relief, the apartment door was unlocked and it was vacant.
“All I could think of is that someone could be in there in need of help and I just wanted to make sure that everyone was safe and that no one got hurt,” he said. “My military training kicked in and instinct took over to take control of the situation. Thankfully, there was nobody in the building at that time.”
Within a couple of minutes, five firetrucks and an ambulance arrived on the scene.
“After the fire was extinguished, I noticed my hands were really burning. I found a paramedic who provided first aid and bandaged my hands,” he said. “Some of my hair was burned and singed. I later had to throw away the uniform I was wearing because the back of it was burned.”
Siguenza was able to use his cell phone to capture video footage of the burning apartments which he shared with several news organizations to use during their broadcasts.
He called Denise to let her know he would be on the news but that he was OK. Denise then notified other family members.
After seeking additional medical treatment, he and his family enjoyed lunch together.
Hopefully, the Siguenza’s 25th wedding anniversary won’t be nearly as eventful as this one.
| Date Taken: | 09.24.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.02.2020 17:17 |
| Story ID: | 378642 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Where there's smoke, there's fire; Cal Guard Soldier responds first to apartment fire, by Lauren Hall, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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