Among the tragic events that ensued following the Los Angeles wildfires, there are still some stories that will bring the best of human nature to light. Heroically, several bus drivers in Pasadena helped with the evacuation of hundreds of senior residents, saving them from the inferno that is the Eaton Fire.
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Among the bus drivers who stepped out to help the elderly was Pasadena Transit operations manager Erasmo Rodriguez. According to CBS News, he was the first to jump on his bus and head out to Washington and Altadena. He witnessed a multitude of senior living facilities that were overwhelmed by the chaos of the situation. Nurses and firefighters used wheelchairs and gurneys to move the seniors to safety.
The Terraces facility in Park Marino was an example of the coordinated effort that Rodriguez, other bus drivers, and emergency responders managed to accomplish. The Terraces staff moved the senior to the parking lot of a 7-Eleven that was right across the street. There, around 95 residents were loaded up and evacuated. Buses and other vehicles such as a SWAT armored vehicle were used to save the elderly.
"We were just boarding the buses, putting as many people as we could," Rodriguez told CBS News. "It did not matter where they sat on the ground or anywhere; leave your walker or wheelchair behind, fit as many people as we can."
Heroes
Fortunately, Eramso Rodriguez was not the only one willing to risk it all for those in need. Adan Moreira, a maintenance manager, and his colleagues quickly turned to help the elderly as soon as they saw the raging wildfires.
"It was horrible," Moreira said. "A lot of black smoke and fire embers hitting the bus. There was a bush in front of the 7-Eleven that caught fire in front of our eyes." However, Moreira and his colleagues pushed through the smoke and chaos to help the seniors.
Letty Ochoa, who works alongside Rodriguez as general manager for Pasadena Transit, was moved by her drivers' determination to save lives. "You don't have to do this," Ochoa remembered saying to the bus drivers. "They didn't even think about it These guys are heroes — true heroes. Because, they're not trained for that. We're trained to move the city around but not this."
Erasmo Rodriguez refuses to be called a "hero," saying that he only did what needed to be done. However, his actions and the ones made by his fellow bus drivers speak for themselves.
