What began as a routine Wednesday afternoon exercise for Canadian marathoner Sergio Ráez Villanueva shortly became an act of heroism. Ráez Villanueva had stepped out for a 10K tempo run along with his associate, Lauren Negrazis, who accompanied him on her bike, within the Streetsville neighborhood of Mississauga, Ont. However halfway by means of the exercise, they seen smoke circling from an open storage on Sidmouth Road, accompanied by the sound of alarms and barking canines.
Realizing nobody was dwelling, the couple leaped into motion. Ráez Villanueva started throwing snow from the yard onto the flames, which seemed to be spreading from the basement to the storage. In the meantime, Negrazis flagged down a neighbour who was about to stroll her canine, urging her to name 911 and try to contact the house owner.
“I used to be able to kick down the entrance door to rescue the canines,” mentioned Ráez Villanueva. Fortuitously, Negrazis reached the house owner, who supplied her with the passcode to unlock the door. The couple rushed inside, rescuing two canines and bringing them to security exterior.
“I’m grateful the neighbours have been there to assist and name 911,” mentioned Negrazis. “Fortunately, nobody was damage.”
When firefighters arrived, the crew found a 3rd canine inside the home, which Negrazis and Ráez Villanueva hadn’t heard throughout their preliminary rescue. Firefighters contained the hearth and introduced the third canine out safely.
In line with the Mississauga Hearth Division, the hearth originated within the basement and will have escalated if not for the short actions of Ráez Villanueva, Negrazis and the neighbours. “I feel we caught it at a very good time too,” Negrazis added.
The householders, who had gone out for dinner simply minutes earlier than the smoke was noticed, returned dwelling about 25 minutes after the 911 name. “It might’ve been so much worse,” Negrazis mirrored. “It was the fitting folks coming collectively on the proper time.”
Ráez Villanueva credited Negrazis for her fast considering and level-headedness, which Negrazis credit to her self-defence coaching. “Lauren’s the MVP for getting the neighbours to name 911 and protecting me calm sufficient to not bolt right into a burning home,” he mentioned. “To not point out protecting me firm on my run.”
This isn’t the primary time Ráez Villanueva has discovered himself in a life-saving state of affairs. Final Might, through the BMO Vancouver Marathon elite athlete dinner, he carried out the Heimlich maneuver on one other runner who was choking on meals. Remarkably, Ráez Villanueva went on to win the marathon the next day.
Now, as he trains to defend his BMO Vancouver Marathon title in Might, Ráez Villanueva’s streak of heroics is cementing his repute as greater than only a runner—he’s an individual locally doing what he can to assist on the proper time.