need to know
-
On November 10, Ciara Aschan, 27, was on her way to give birth in Des Moines, Iowa, when she noticed smoke and flames coming from the back of a home.
-
She called 911 and checked to make sure no one was home
-
Her quick thinking allowed firefighters to limit the damage to the home to the upper floors
An Amazon delivery driver was in the right place at the right time to help save a burning house from total destruction.
Ciara Aschan, 27, of Johnston, Iowa, was delivering packages in neighboring Des Moines when she noticed something unusual at a home in the 6900 block of Southwest 15th Street.
“I’m looking for the address [for my delivery],” she told People. “I was driving and squinting, and then I saw smoke coming from the house. “
“Then I looked closer and I could actually see the flames behind the house. That’s when I said, ‘Oh crap, the house is on fire,'” she added.
Ashon parked his car, turned on his hazard lights, called 911, and immediately ran to the front door of his home. “I focused all my attention on that house,” she recalled, “because there was a car in the driveway. Normally, a car in the driveway means someone is home. So it panicked me.”
She knocked on the door and shouted to get the homeowner’s attention, but nothing happened.
“Then I ran to the back of the house,” Ashan recalled, “and there was another door, and I just turned the handle,” Ashan recalled.
Opening the door, “thankfully” unlocked, Achan shouted, making sure her voice was echoed. Again there was no response, but she added, “It looks kind of empty anyway.”
While waiting for firefighters and other first responders to arrive, which only took about six minutes, Ashan began delivering the package to a nearby home.
“I knocked on the door because if they were home,” she said, “I would let them know, ‘Hey, your neighbor’s house is on fire. You might want to leave.’ It would have been shocking if the fire had spread, but they got it under control pretty quickly.”
She later learned from authorities that no one was home at the time of the fire.
Des Moines Fire Department officials told CBS affiliate KCCI that Ashan’s call allowed firefighters to get to the scene quickly and limit the damage to the home to the second floor.
“It prevented a lot of damage – it saved the house,” said Mike Morgan, a member of the Des Moines Fire Department (DFMD). “Obviously, if someone had been in there, we could have saved a life.”
In a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, November 24, DMFD confirmed the incident that occurred on November 10, when smoke and flames were visible on the upper back level of the unoccupied single-family home.
“The multiple fire companies on scene are grateful for the quick response and use of the emergency dispatch system to quickly respond and extinguish this fire,” the department said. “A special thank you to the Amazon driver who took a minute to investigate the scene, provide the operator with comprehensive information, and respond appropriately.”
They went on to say that “there is no suspicion of malicious intent” and the fire is “believed to be unintentional”.
Ashan said she later received a thank-you message from a woman who said the home was owned by her mother and her husband.
“She basically just said they were renovating a house for her and her three daughters, which was her mom and stepdad’s home, and luckily no one was there,” Ashan said of the note.
Amazon also thanked Ashan in a statement shared with People. “We’re grateful for the thoughtful actions of Amazon Flex delivery partner Ciara, who helped avert a life-threatening house fire while delivering in her community. We’re told her quick thinking and actions minimized the damage,” the company said. “Thanks to Ciara and all of the drivers and delivery partners who go the extra mile every day to serve their customers and their communities.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to get the latest from PEOPLE, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ashan said she feels good about what she did and is glad the house was spared.
“Not all superheroes wear capes,” she added. “They were wearing Amazon vests.”
Read the original article on People
