A man saved from a burning office building in Los Angeles' Westlake neighborhood said he is overjoyed he will still be able to spend time with his grandkids.
Dickie Molina and his wife were stuck on the fifth floor of the high rise on West Olympic Boulevard, and had taken refuge next to a window as they tried to get the attention of the people below. Eventually a Los Angeles Fire Department ladder truck was deployed, and the couple made the long descent to safety on the street below.
Tearfully recalling his rescue, Molina said, "(The firefighter) said it is not your time. I still get to see my grandchildren."
The couple had found themselves trapped as the inferno raged through the building, and quick-thinking Molina decided they would be better off staying near fresh air than trying to find their way out inside.
"I knew that usually the fire doesn’t get you, the asphyxiation, the inhalation will kill you, so I said go back in, open up the window," Molina said.
He tried to get the attention of people below by waving, shouting and throwing anything that came to hand.
Nelson Linares was leaving a nearby gym when he saw Molina.
U.S. & World
"I just spotted him throwing stuff out of there. I don't know if it was newspaper, paper, trying to get someone's attention," Linares said.
Within minutes a truck was sent to save him, and he was heading down five stories on a ladder.
The fire in the 1500 block of West Olympic Boulevard was reported at 7:45 p.m. The cause of the fire is unclear.
Several other people managed to escape the flames by evacuating.
