Teen honored with Meritorious Civilian Award after rescuing grandparents in house fire [grandmother in hospice care]

Teen honored with Meritorious Civilian Award after rescuing grandparents in house fire [grandmother in hospice care] 
Chattanoogan.com, Chattanooga, TN; 11/12/24
The Whitfield County Fire Department awarded the Meritorious Civilian Award for Bravery to 15-year-old José Fernando Espinoza on Monday in recognition of his exceptional courage during a house fire on Oct. 19. The award honors civilians who show extraordinary heroism in life-threatening situations, celebrating Fernando’s selfless actions that saved his grandparents. Shortly after midnight on Oct. 19, firefighters were dispatched to a fire on Ricky Drive, where flames had rapidly overtaken the home. Though most of the family managed to escape safely, Fernando’s grandparents remained trapped inside. His grandmother, bedridden and in hospice care, and his grandfather, who chose to stay with the grandmother, were unable to make it out on their own. In an extraordinary display of bravery, Fernando reentered the burning home through a window and, pushing through thick smoke and flames, managed to pull both grandparents to safety.