NewsWest 9
ODESSA - Firefighters rushed to the 1300 block of Lindberg just before 3 p.m., paramedics stood on standby, and Red Cross came in to help the family. However, Cassandra Pena is also a hero, as a she saved her two toddlers and a two-week-old newborn from the fire that destroyed her home.
"I got both my older two kids and rushed them out and I was carrying my baby, and I just got all of us out," Pena said. "My kids were my main priority, I didn't care about nothing else."
She said it all started when she was fixing a bottle for her newborn. Her three-year-old daughter came in to the room and said she heard a banging on the window. When Pena went to go check it out, she noticed the breaker box had popped.
"When I went to the living room, I started smelling plastic burning so I opened up the door and like a little ball of fire just flew inside," Pena said.
Neighbors were all outside trying to help in any way they could. One person who lives across the street says it started out as only a small fire on the porch.
"We figured we could just hose it down. I ran over there because they got kids and stuff, went next door and tried to get everything but it took less than 30 seconds and the whole house was on fire," Edward Bejarano said.
Many believe a propane tank is what caused the flames to go out of control. Now the family is left with just a pile of their belongings.
"We've been here many years and we never ask for help, but we are asking now," Lori Pena, the victim's mother, said.
