BURIEN, Wash. — An Amazon delivery driver recounted the heart-pounding moments inside a home fully engulfed in flames where he risked his life to ensure the homeowners made it out safely.
Fuad Ali has made thousands of deliveries for Amazon over the last year and a half. But last week, he went the extra mile.
"I think this is the craziest thing,” Ali said. “I think I won't forget this. What happened on July 23rd."
On that day his main goal was not to deliver packages. It was to save lives.
"Job is second, the first important thing is that humans… like nobody is inside the house,” Ali said. “Because the house it can burn, it has insurance, but the most important thing is to make sure that nobody's home."
The home he's talking about is what's left of a Burien house along the 11600 block. It was engulfed in flames when he encountered it on his route.
"If I didn't go and probably knock on their door and just mind my own business and continue my route, I would've felt bad really bad," Ali said.
He called 911 as he tried to get inside. Ali said he and a neighbor began kicking the door eventually breaking through.
"We entered the house and there was already white smoke coming from the roof," Ali said. "And I knew that we had to do it really quick."
Ali said they were in home for 30 seconds, but it felt more like 30 minutes.
“I'm really grateful that he was so brave that day,” said Jamie Anon who lives across the street from home that caught fire. She like many others in the neighborhood consider Ali a hero. “That was my first thought when I heard him shouting, someone call 911. He was banging on the door. I immediately heard him and thought, wow, that's really incredible and really heroic."
But our humble hero just wants to deliver this message.
"I'm not a hero," Ali said. "Everybody should just look out for each other."