He described it as “pure confusion.” When the rest of the stakes flew around in January and Ash took over the Altadena skies during the Eton fire, Pasadena Police Department officer Krishstian Banuelos was one of hundreds of first responders to support the community in emergencies.
When the residents ran safely on the morning of January 8th, trying to beat the speed of the flames, Banuelos bravely saved the elderly woman by carrying her out of the house during the flames. A few months later he was able to meet the children of gratitude of the women he had saved.
The 101-year-old Bellena Sharp children accepted Banuelos this week. The rescue of the 31-year-old officer was captured in widely circulated images when he carried Banueros safely. Newly shared body camera footage showed the moment he carefully picked up Sharp from her bed to save her.
“At this point, all I could think about was ‘Let everyone go out,'” Banuelos said.
When Banuelos went to her aid, Flame was quickly approaching Sharp’s neighbour. She was unable to walk, blind, and had Alzheimer’s, so she helped her to leave the house.
“I think at that point we were just trying to reassure her that we had her, that we got her and that she was fine,” Banuelos said.
Sharp’s family ultimately said that the smoke she inhaled and her other health issues were too much for their beloved mother. She passed away in April, they said.
“Mom had other issues in the past and she’s always bouncing back,” said Wanda Sharp, Larna’s daughter. “This time, she didn’t bounce back.”
Banuelos said it was a shame he was able to meet the woman he saved from the flames, but he was happy to see her child. Wanda is joined by brothers Melvin and Emerson.
“You just felt like you were doing your job, and that wasn’t a big deal, but it was a big deal for us,” Wanda said, saying he had the image of a rescue.
Emerson and Melvin were lost in the fire, but the brothers’ childhood home on Glenrose Avenue survived. The trio are now often sitting on the porch of their home, reflecting January and memories of their growing up.
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