When an east side home caught fire in February, people from all over the city could see the heavy smoke, including three teenagers playing football at a nearby park.
"We saw smoke, just plumes of it just going up in the air," said 15-year-old Thomas Probst, one of the teens. He says before emergency crews arrived he and two others rushed over to help.
"There was an old lady that was in the house screaming that there was someone in the backyard," said Probst.
Probst and his 16-year-old cousin Grady along with their friend, 17-year-old Antonio Ruiz-Martinez, went into a neighbor's yard and saw heavy flames coming from the home in question.
Tucson Fire says the intense heat caused active power lines to fall in the yard and a woman became trapped.
"We ran to the neighbor, jumped his wall, ran back there, got the ladder and got the dogs and the lady out," said Thomas Probst.
Maureen Probst says she worried at first when a Tucson Police Sergeant called about her son Thomas but then learned the boys would receive recognition for their quick actions by both TPD and the Tucson Fire Department.
"I'm really proud of all three of those boys," said Maureen Probst. "I know they're great kids and I know that for teenagers to do something like that, sometimes people have an image that teenagers are a little self absorbed and I know these boys are not."
That's evident in the fact that they ran toward a burning house without even stopping to think about it.
"Didn't even have to ask if we were gonna do it," said Grady Probst. "We all just ran."
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9OYS interviewed the family whose home was destroyed in this fire. They are still working to rebuild after losing everything. To donate to their Gofundme page, click here.
