Alright. Every time games get blamed, tangentially, for some idiot criminal's behavior, everyone makes the rhetorical argument the local news never calls out the tangential gaming interests of a good samaritan. Well, rub your eyes and stand corrected: A gamer is being called a hero for saving an old man from a burning home.
And it's not just the local media making the connection. A captain for the Orange County (Calif.) Fire Authority said it himself, briefing reporters after 22-year-old Misrael Flores, of Westminster, helped his unconscious 87-year-old neighbor to safety.
Flores "was playing video games and basically looked out his window and saw the fire," Capt. Steve Concialdi told City News Service of Southern California, according to LAist. "He ran into his neighbor's house and was able to successfully exit him out."
Could use some work on the public safety jargon front, but I'll take it. KABC-TV first reported Flores' identity and spoke to him about the incident. He saw his neighbor's mobile home "engulfed in flames," checked into it and discovered the man unconscious on the ground. Flores brought him to his house. No word if they played anything while they waited for help to arrive (that's a joke, sorry.)
The fire, started by an extension cord, did $25,000 worth of damage to the man's home. After being treated for smoke inhalation, the 87-year-old (whose name was not released) is doing fine.
Heroic 22-Year-Old Video Gamer Rescues Octogenarian from Mobile Home Fire [LAist, h/t Michael G]
Image by Todd Klassy | Shutterstock