The flames in the window caught Carroll High School sophomore Caiden Whitaker's eye as he drove his girlfriend home after school on Sept. 2.
"It almost felt surreal when I passed the house," Whitaker said about a month later.
In the moment, Whitaker pulled over and asked his girlfriend to dial 911. He spoke to the operator, and went up to the door of the house.
He knocked, uncertain if anybody was inside. There was no response.
After speaking with a mail carrier who happened to be on the street as well, Whitaker kicked down the door of the house to be sure no one was inside and in danger. He also spoke with the neighbors, letting them know about the fire.
Thanks to his call, the fire department arrived promptly.
Next, Whitaker called his mom to let
her know he was all right, took his girlfriend the rest of the way home and then went back to the scene in case the officials needed any information from him.
But once he went home and got ready to go to church that evening, he figured it was over.
In his mind, Whitaker did what anyone else would do in that situation. "Common courtesy," he called it.
What he didn't know was that the Corpus Christi Fire Department reached out to his principal at Carroll High School after the incident to set up a special recognition.
Whitaker has been nominated for a citizen's commendation award. In a Facebook post, the Corpus Christi Fire Department stated that Whitaker had stepped up "to help save lives and property in our community."
Last week, during what he thought was a normal pep rally, Whitaker noticed a few people from the fire department on site. Maybe they were there to give a talk or just to watch the pep rally, he thought.
"Then I heard my name and I was like, I know exactly what this is about," Whitaker said.
The fire department presented Whitaker with a plaque recognizing him for "courageous action." Crews in attendance included Engine 18, Battalion 2 and the fire prevention division.
"It shows all the other kids that it's OK to be brave and to step out and help others," Principal Jenifer Guerra-Leos said.
Coincidentally, this wasn't the first time Whitaker had encountered a fire. When he was in fifth grade, his own house experienced a similar fire.
"I feel like it's common sense at the end of the day," Whitaker said. "But I did know what to do because of my past experiences."
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Fire department honors teen for actions during house fire
