Two Clovis firefighters are honored for their bravery and saving a woman from a fire.
The victim was unconscious, inside her burning apartment when the two firefighters rushed in risking their own lives.
This was the scene on January 9th.
An apartment was on fire, the woman who lived there was still inside.
Fire captain Anthony Gomes and fire fighter Joshua Bennet-Snow went into rescue mode.
“We just kind of decided, we looked at each other and decided to go in and start our search knowing that we had other guys coming behind us to back us up,” said Bennett-Snow.
The apartment was full of smoke. They found the woman unconscious, pulled her to safety, and saved her life.
For that heroic act - they were presented with the medal of valor - the highest honor the city of Clovis bestows.
The two men have worked together for the last seven years.
“To have somebody by your side you work with for seven years and you can anticipate what that person has done, is invaluable,” said Captain Gomes
The woman who was rescued from the fire was not able to make it to the ceremony.
But Clovis Fire Chief Mike Despain read a statement from her.
”In her words, I've never been so scared in my life I knew that this was the end. I was laying here just waiting, knowing this was how my life was going to end. And all of the sudden these firefighters come in and drag me out,” Despain said.
We asked the firefighters if they worried at all for their own lives during all of this.
“In the moment - no. After the moment, yeah you do you realize what had happened and the things that you avoided as far as what Josh and I went through,” Gomes said.
