DETROIT – Two high school seniors will be honored on the first day of school for saving residents from an apartment fire last Thursday. Cesar Chavez Academy says Dalvin Criddell, 16, and Raul Lule, 17, will be recognized on Tuesday morning for "putting the lives of fellow citizens ahead of their own."
The Detroit natives say they were driving past the apartment building on Dragoon Street at around 3 a.m. when they saw smoke and went into the building to help the residents. The teens pounded on doors to wake up residents and helped guide them from the burning building.
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"There's people's lives at stake, you know?" Lule said. "If I can help save a life, why not? Why not stop and save a life?"
Their efforts helped wake Robert Villapando and his wife (pictured below). The teens helped the couple out of the building.
"Well, I guess it saved our life. If we would have slipped through all that smoke, we'd probably be dead right now," Villapando said.
Several other people were able to get out of the building on their own.
"Southwest Detroit works together," said Cesar Chavez Academy High School Home-School Liaison Juan Cantu. "Time and time again, we see examples of our students, families, businesses and schools working together and caring for one another. What a great way to start the 2015-2016 school year by honoring two brave young men and their families as outstanding examples of what our school and community stand for."