Two brothers, aged 20 and 15, are being recognized for their heroic actions after entering a burning nursing home in Glendale, California, to rescue trapped residents. The fire broke out at the assisted living facility on the 1800 block of Mountain Street around 4:45 p.m. on Friday.
Alex Bazinyan, 20, noticed smoke and flames billowing from the facility and saw a nurse outside yelling for help. His younger brother, Narek, 15, followed him. Upon realizing multiple residents were trapped inside, the brothers decided to enter the building before firefighters arrived.
"I go inside this big room and I see all these old people on the floor with catheters," Alex told KTLA. "Some people were injured, had blood on their legs. We just took everybody out one by one."
Eight people, including two nurses, were reportedly trapped inside as the fire intensified. Narek described the scene as chaotic, with flames and smoke engulfing the area. "As I’m looking around, I just see flames going up and coming towards me," he said. "I tried bringing everyone out as fast as I could. There was smoke everywhere. I was pretty much blinded by the smoke."
Two neighbors also assisted in the rescue, helping to move the six elders to safety on the front lawn before emergency services arrived. Alex reported hearing an explosion shortly after the last person was removed from the building.
The Glendale Fire Department chief stated that an oxygen tank likely exploded, contributing to a partial collapse of the structure. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, preventing it from spreading to nearby homes. Seven individuals sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Alex Bazinyan described the rescue as an instinctual act, stating, "It’s that instinct of whenever you see people in need, you want to help them out." Narek added, "If you ever see anyone in need, you should always try to help them out as much as you can."