Contractor, passersby, save 91-year-old woman from fire
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LODI, California (KCRA) — From handyman to hero, a contractor helped save a 91-year-old woman from a fire in Lodi on Monday evening.
Mike Becerra said he, along with neighbors and passersby, banded together to get the woman out safely and put out the flames at a home on Howard Street. Becerra had been across the home, giving a family an estimate on a backsplash.
As he was walking to his car to leave the area, Becerra said he noticed potential danger when he spotted fire coming out through a window. At first, he thought it was a minor kitchen fire, but as he drew closer, he knew he had to act.
“I was about to open the door (of the car) but I heard her say, ‘I can’t get out,'” Becerra said.
The woman, he later learned, was 91 years old and had dementia. She had been home alone and the only way in was through a window.
Becerra said he and others used crowbars and concrete breakers to help rescue the woman. Becerra is a trained contractor who also took some first aid classes.
“By that time, I had the water hose. One of the neighbors across the street had a brick. We threw it through that window and got that fire out as soon as we could,” Becerra said.
The group of strangers’ concerted effort saved the woman from the fire. When Becerra got home, his wife had more life-changing news to share.
“I think my specific words were, ‘If today wasn’t exciting enough, here’s a little bit more,’ and I just handed him the test,” Candice Becerra, Mike’s wife said, recalling how she showed him the positive pregnancy test. “That was pretty much it, no words were needed, he knew exactly what was going on.”
News of a baby on the way, a selfless act and that backsplash estimate is now in the books.
“I definitely got the job,” Becerra said with a smile.
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