Stranger Punches Through Glass Door and Runs Into Burning Home to Save Two Young Girls

Stranger Punches Through Glass Door and Runs Into Burning Home to Save Two Young Girls

Leon Segura wasn’t a neighbor. He wasn’t even from the area.

He was simply driving home when he saw the flames and heard screaming. Without a second thought, Segura pulled over, ran toward the burning home, and tried to kick in the front door.

But the intense heat made it impossible to get inside.

Leon Segura

“I kept on hearing screaming and crying,” he recalled.

Determined to help, Segura raced to the back of the house where he found a large glass door. He punched through it with his bare hand, suffering cuts to his arm and hand in the process.

“I told myself, ‘Lord help me,’ and I knew I had to get those girls out,” he said.

Wrapping a bandana around his face to shield himself from the thick smoke, Segura entered the home and quickly found two young girls nearby. One by one, he carried them to safety.

“As soon as I grabbed the last child and put her over my shoulders, that’s whenever the back of the house started booming and banging,” he said.

Moments later, firefighters arrived and took over the rescue effort.

The two girls Segura rescued were airlifted to burn units in critical condition. Officials say there is no doubt they survived because of his quick actions.

“We were here within four minutes, but that four minutes is crucial,” said Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek. “You’ve got a house full of kids. That four minutes is everything. I can’t say enough about the actions of Mr. Segura. Those two kids that he pulled out, they’re here because of him.”

Segura later learned there had been another child inside the home. By the time he carried the second girl to safety, the fire had grown too intense for him to re-enter. Tragically, that child did not survive. Seven people lived in the home, including five children. Two adults and another child escaped without injury.

After receiving treatment for the cuts he suffered while breaking through the glass, Segura remained focused not on his own injuries, but on the children.

“I’m just really glad that the little girls are OK. That’s really what matters,” he said. “I have an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old daughter. What if it was one of my kids? I would want somebody to act immediately. It’s the right thing to do.”