The CEO of Uber praised the driver as a “hero” for saving passengers from a fire in New York City.
On Wednesday, August 17, in the evening, Fritz Sam and Jemimah Wei were travelling through Brooklyn when they came upon a four-story house fire on Classon Avenue.
The driver told CNN that there were flames coming from a second-story window, but there was no emergency personnel present.
Father-of-two Sam parked his car after getting Wei’s OK and ran over to the fire. There, he began shouting to the occupants of the house in case they weren’t yet aware of the danger they were facing.
Sam didn’t think twice and raced right into the blazing house when the neighbours couldn’t confirm with certainty whether everyone had safely evacuated the building.
on the way to the airport this morning and drove by a burning building, my Uber driver LEAPT out of the car and INTO the building while the rest of us screamed at the top of our lungs for people to evacuate, the fire truck came, we rushed to airport, I made my flight. NEW YORK. pic.twitter.com/YLglNDVUn7
— Jemimah James Wei / 魏信子 (@jemmawei) August 17, 2022
Before the fire could consume the entire structure, he located a woman on the second floor and a guy on the first floor, both of whom he escorted to safety.
Sam successfully evacuated the entire house, and according to both Sam and Wei, firefighters showed up not too long after. The Uber driver, however, didn’t end there. In addition to rushing to return to his car to finish the ride he had started before they came upon the flaming brownstone, Sam took it upon himself to console the occupants and make sure they were all well. He also managed to drop Wei off in time for her flight.
The traveller gave Sam a perfect five-star review on Twitter, writing: “On the way to the airport this morning and drove by a burning building, my Uber driver LEAPT out of the car and INTO the building while the rest of us screamed at the top of our lungs for people to evacuate, the first truck came, we rushed to the airport, I made my flight.”
Sam describes his valiant deeds in the video below:
It's not every day your driver pulls over mid-ride to rescue people from a burning building – and still gets you to the airport on time. Check out our "One Minute With…" driver and Hometown Hero Fritz Sam. pic.twitter.com/KEVmqmkP4K
— Uber (@Uber) August 22, 2022
She wasn’t the only one who was astounded by Sam’s bravery, though. He was referred to as a “Uber hero” on Twitter on Thursday by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
I spoke to this @Uber hero – he was thankful that someone helped move his car – all the while he was the one who ran into the building! And he made sure to get to the flight on time. People are good indeed 🙏🏽. https://t.co/wIqFEddcfU
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) August 17, 2022
He tweeted: “I spoke to this Uber hero – he was thankful that someone helped move his car – all the while he was the one who ran into the building!”
No one was hurt in the fire, according to the authorities. Investigations are being conducted to determine what caused the fire.
Good job, Sam! You and other common people like you contribute to a better world!
