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City employee honored for saving people in fire

Posted at 2:02 PM, Nov 18, 2015
and last updated 2015-11-18 17:02:31-05
When most of us see smoke and fire, we run the other way, but one man took daring action and headed right into the flames.
 
Looking at it after the fact, it's hard to believe anyone came out of the apartments on Sunrise Avenue okay. Almost no part of the complex was untouched by the fire in March, creating tens of thousands of dollars in repair work. When Deputy City Marshal Christopher Fry first saw the complex, a wall of fire was blocking the door.
 
"The whole front entrance was ... you couldn't get near it. I was probably 20 feet near the door and you could feel all the heat," said Fry.
 
Las Vegas marshals are a lot like police, but they stick to patrolling city buildings and parks. Fry was in between stops back in March when he saw smoke in the distance. Unlike many of us, he ran toward it, not stopping for a second.
 
A wall of flames greeted him at the apartment's front door. He called out to see if anyone was inside, but he didn't hear anything. He kept going anyway, pushing past several doors trying to see if there was even a single person in danger, and there was.
 
Actually several homeless people -- too scared to cry out -- escaped the burning complex just in time because of Fry's bravery.
 
He's been on the job for 15 years and Fry admits there's not been a single day in that time quite like those few, adrenaline-filled minutes in March.
 
"No, I usually don't go running into buildings like that," said Fry.