67-Year-Old Father Jumps from 2nd Story of His Burning Home to Save 4 Family Members Trapped Inside
California resident Otoniel Gomez used a ladder to rescue his loved ones from the quick-moving fire
NBCLA/YouTube; Orange County Fire Authority
Otoniel Gomez pictured alongside his burning homeNEED TO KNOW
A 67-year-old father jumped from his second-story home and saved his family from an early morning fire in Santa Ana, Calif. on Dec. 5
Otoniel Gomez used a ladder to rescue the four other occupants of the house
Now, the family is grappling with the loss of all of their possessions
A father jumped from the second floor to save his family from their burning California home. Now, he’s being praised for his brave act as they recover from losing everything.
“To me, it’s the family. We are alive — that’s it,” Otoniel Gomez tells NBC affiliate KNBC in a joint interview with his loved ones following the devastating fire at their home in Santa Ana on Friday, Dec. 5. “The other thing, it’s just material.”
Investigators told the outlet that the fire may have begun on the first floor around 1:30 a.m. that morning.
Capt. Sean Doran of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) told CW affiliate KTLA that a woman first smelled the smoke and notified her husband, who tried to open their door but couldn’t exit because of the intensity of the smoke and heat. The 67-year-old man, later identified as Gomez, then jumped from their bedroom window to the patio cover just below, before leaping nine feet to the ground, according to the outlets. Gomez then grabbed a ladder to help his wife escape, before he helped his 11-year-old son reach safety from his bedroom on the second floor.
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Otoniel Gomez“You can hear the dad on top of the ladder, pounding on that window, trying to get the attention of his 11-year-old, who was still fast asleep,” Doran told KTLA. “He says, ‘Open the window … We’re going to have to jump. We’re going to get you out of here,’ calm but urgent, over and over again.”
Officials told the outlet that as soon as the child was safe, Gomez used the ladder to rescue his adult son and an elderly woman before the blaze overtook the second floor. First responders were alerted about the building fire at 1:35 a.m. By the time they arrived, the five occupants had already escaped the fire, along with the family’s Chihuahua, Lyka, according to KTLA.
“Five people are alive today thanks to the heroic actions of a 67-year-old man at his home on South Linda Way,” OCFA captioned a video shared on social media of the fire engulfing the home and the destruction left after firefighters arrived.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, a spokesperson for the agency confirmed when contacted by PEOPLE.
Gomez’s proud daughter told KNBC that he’s always kept them safe.
“He’s just a solid guy, you know? Growing up, I never saw him panic. I never saw him stressed out... When things would go wrong, there was always a positive attitude,” one daughter told the outlet. “As a child, I never felt uncertain or scared because of him.”
Though they are grateful that everyone survived, the family is now homeless. Daisy Valdivia, one of Gomez’s children, has launched a GoFundMe page to help the family find housing and cover other necessities, per KTLA.
“My dad, Otoniel, is facing one of the most difficult times of his life,” wrote Valdivia, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. “He is currently homeless, trying to care for his young child who is still in elementary school.”
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A neighbor, Frank Ramirez, who saw Gomez after the fire, told KNBC told how much of a toll the incident has taken on him.
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“He was distraught and full of fear. He almost lost everything. This is nothing compared to losing his son and wife,” Ramirez told the outlet. “Thank God he got that much out of it. The rest of it is replaceable.”
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