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A UPS driver rescued a 101-year-old woman from her burning California home on Jan. 15″I just did what I thought was right,” driver Willy Esquivel saidThe elderly woman, Ann Edwards, survived and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation
A 101-year-old woman was rescued from a house fire in California by a UPS driver.
The incident occurred in Santa Ana on Jan. 15, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).
The OCFA said in a Facebook post that the “quick action by neighbors and a UPS driver” saved the life of the elderly woman, who was later identified as Ann Edwards by local news outlet KTLA 5.
“After neighbors saw smoke, they rushed to the woman’s home, pounded on the door and tried to help her exit safely. When she hesitated, they asked a nearby UPS driver for help, who picked her up and carried her to safety,” officials said.
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Some neighbors used fire extinguishers to put out flames in Edwards’ kitchen, according to the fire department.
Another neighbor, who was “a roofer by trade,” used a ladder to climb onto the woman’s roof and spray water into the kitchen vent with a garden hose, officials added.
The OCFA said firefighters arrived shortly after a call was placed and extinguished the remaining flames, which they said “spread into the attic.”
They added that Edwards was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
“A remarkable outcome made possible by quick action, teamwork and people looking out for one another in a moment of need,” officials said in their post.
The OCFA did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The UPS driver, identified by KTLA 5 as Willy Esquivel, said he helped because he did what he hoped anyone would have done in the same situation.
“I just did what I thought was right. At the end of the day, she’s someone’s mother, someone’s grandmother, great-grandmother,” he said while speaking to the outlet.
Esquivel also said he doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“I’m just a UPS driver who was in the right place at the right time,” he told KTLA 5. “I’m just glad I was able to lend a hand when it was needed. I hope she has a quick recovery.”
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The woman’s son, Rick Edwards, expressed his immense gratitude to Esquivel.
“Thank you, because I bet you it took a little bit to get my mom out of there,” he told KTLA 5. “God bless you, man, for sticking with her and getting her out of there.”