Local teens Granite Soltysilt, Daniel Herrera, Angel Gallard and Lealdo Gallardo were presented with Certificates of Recognition by the Clarkdale Police Department during the Town Council Meeting on July 28. The four were recognized for their heroism in working to contain a structural fire on June 2 in the 900 block of Calle Tomallo, in the Centerville neighborhood of Clarkdale.
Multiple calls came into dispatch at 1:44 p.m. and the high-schoolers attempted to extinguish the flames.
“The kids were playing a game in their home, and they heard the cry for help, and instead of ignoring it, they turned off their video games, and all four of them swung into action,” CPD Chief Randy Taylor said. “They had a fence they had to jump over to get there as quickly as possible. They didn’t go around the front of the house or take the easier way. It’s just a story that heroes are made out of.”
First responders arrived at 1:50 p.m., and were on scene until the following morning and crews were able to contain the fire to the residence and adjacent properties sustained only minor damage. However, as previously reported by Larson Newspapers, the fire did claim the life of the home’s resident Robert Wilcox, 63.
