Idaho Falls city employee helps save Las Vegas family from house fire
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IDAHO FALLS — Sometimes, it just so happens you’re in the right place at the right time.
In the case of local man Scott Davis, it seemed more than just happenstance, he thinks perhaps it was even meant to be.
Davis, the cemetery sexton for the Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation Department, had won tickets to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in early December. His brother lives in Las Vegas so he was staying with him.
On Dec. 9, sometime before noon, Davis and his brother were driving about two blocks from the brother’s home when they noticed smoke and flames coming from the garage of a one-story house. His brother quickly parked his truck and the two ran to the front door.
“My brother knocked and rang the doorbell, but then I pushed the door open,” Davis said.
An older woman was inside the home. “We told her, ‘your house is on fire!’” he said. “She told us there were two babies sleeping, and her son was sleeping downstairs.”
Davis and the older woman grabbed the two small children, and Davis’ brother ran downstairs to alert the older woman’s son. All the people and several dogs made it out safely and without injury, according to a Las Vegas Fire & Rescue news release.
But then came a surprise, Davis added. “When we were out there with the kids, there were probably 15 shots that came from the garage. I asked the son if he had ammunition in there, and he said yes.” It seemed the fire was causing the ammunition to go off. They moved further from the home and behind a rock wall for protection.
When it was safe Davis and his brother helped clear the property of cars. Davis explained the flames caused the garage windows to break out. By the time firefighters arrived, Davis said it appeared the main part of the house was on fire as well. The fire was extinguished in about 15 minutes, according to the release.
After returning to Idaho Falls, when Davis tells the story, people have a hard time believing the event at first. They read the local Las Vegas news story about it, but it just mentioned the fire itself.
“It seems a little far-fetched. I like to joke around a lot, but this was not a joke,” he said. “Thankfully, it has a happy ending.”
He maintains that he’s no hero — he was just doing what anyone would in that situation.
“If someone’s life is in danger, you help. I would hope someone would do the same for me,” Davis explained. “But it makes me wonder why … did I win those [rodeo] tickets for that reason? You don’t think about it when you’re doing it, it’s just after.”
City of Idaho Falls Fire Department spokeswoman Kerry Hammon said Davis’ actions are in line with what city employees do all the time.
“When I heard about it, I was like, well it figures! There goes our city staff helping in other cities! It doesn’t surprise me, the kind of people we have working here,” Hammon said. “It doesn’t matter what city they are in, they are willing to help.”