WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A local veteran was hailed a hero after he jumped into action and helped a family out of a burning duplex on Monday.
Chris Vales said it’s second nature to ensure others’ safety. He learned this from his time serving in the Marine Corps and thinks others in Wichita would do the same for him.
Plumes of smoke signaled trouble, as Vales did work in a West Wichita neighborhood.
“I told my partner to call 911, I just jumped the fence, ran through the yard, went over the next fence, across the street to the duplex,” said Vales.
There was no answer at the door, so Vales ran to the other side.
“I had pliers on my hip. I wasn’t sure if the door was hot, so I started pounding on the door with my pliers and nobody answered. Nobody answered, so I ran right next door got the neighbors out, pounded on their door, got them out,” said Vales.
He led children and their parents to safety, then went back to look for others.