Soldier rescues girl in Cordoba

Private Francisco Cerezo is the new hero of the 10th Armoured Infantry Regiment “Córdoba”. On Saturday 29 August he risked his life to save that of a girl after a fire broke out at the apartment where she lived.

That day at around three in the afternoon Francisco was home in downtown Cordoba with his wife and their two sons (one of them, a newborn) when he smelt something burning. He went out to the courtyard and saw smoke coming out of the floor above and realised that a 12-year-old girl was there. Without hesitation, he told his wife to leave the building with their sons and call the fire brigade, then he climbed up a drainpipe to reach the apartment on fire.

Once inside, Private Cerezo established that the fire was still confined to the kitchen. He got the girl out of the building and, aware of the need to act fast to prevent the fire spreading, he went back into the building, picked up the fire extinguisher from the landing and returned to the burning apartment. By the time the firefighters arrived the fire was out. For their part, the first responders confirmed that both the girl and Francisco were unharmed, although the soldier had inhaled toxic fumes and required oxygen.

Private Cerezo has been in the Army for twelve years and he is currently stationed at the 3rd Company of the 4/10 Armoured Vehicle Battalion “Málaga”. He explained: “I love sports and keeping fit. In addition, my accumulated experience in the four units I have been a member of has been very useful in this incident.”

When news spread all his commanders, from the captain to the colonel, called him to congratulate him; they have also done so in writing. “I am very pleased, no doubt about it, but I feel particularly proud of having done something to project such a positive image of the Army,” he pointed out. “People need to know that soldiers are there for them night and day, and that we are always prepared because much is required from us at the physical level. Any soldier would have done the same.”