I'm a Hero!

When they heard the smoke detector going off in a vacant condo unit, neighbors called the fire department to the Bayside Villas in the 600 block of 13th Street on Saturday morning, November 7.

Ten-year-old Winter Hasdol was waiting out front for his father when he heard the siren and saw the smoke. “I thought my dad was hurt. The manager handed me the clicker for the security gate and told me to let the fire trucks in. I ran and kept clicking. I waved at the firemen and had to yell, ‘Come on in!’"

San Diego firefighter Dennis Clay said the fire occurred as the result of a lamp laying face down on carpet. “It was a minor fire, no big deal. We got here early and put it out, but it could have been worse.”

One neighbor said the condo was sold two months ago, and the new owners “got a great deal on it and had just started moving in yesterday.”

The quick response from San Diego, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, and Coronado fire units limited damage to mostly smoke and water.

After walking through the condo, which appeared to be undergoing renovations, SD fire captain Robert Stanley offered details of the second-floor bedroom fire:

“The smoke detector was lying on the bathroom sink counter, but it still worked and someone heard it. It might have been different if it had happened at 3:00 in the morning.”

Captain Stanley thanked young Winter, as did the boy's neighbor Julie, who told him, “Good job, kiddo!” Winter ran home yelling, “I’m a hero!”