SPOKANE, Wash. – Two local heroes were recognized nationally Tuesday night for their bravery.
Back in 2016, Angel Fiorini saved her three kids from a house fire before she was overcome by smoke. By chance, a good Samaritan named Matt Burson passed the home at the time and rushed to save Angel. In the end, everyone survived.
At a ceremony at the Spokane County Courthouse they were both presented with the Carnegie Medal for Outstanding Civilian Heroism. The medal is given throughout the country to those who risk their lives in an extraordinary way while saving, or attempting to, save the lives of others.
"My hair was melting. I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe. For her to get to where they were I couldn't have gone another five feet in that house," Burson said.
"I have never had so much pain. And I delivered three children naturally, without drugs," Fiorini explained.
Fiorini and Burson are two of only 20 people nationwide to receive this award in 2018. Beyond the recognition, they both said the real prize is that everyone made it out of the fire alive.
“It is everything, it’s everything, something that is, forever be remembered as a huge landmark in our lives,” Fiorini said.
“For these kids to see that daddy did something bigger than him. I guess I’m saying that right. I want them to see that it’s not about work, it’s about doing the right thing in life,” Burson said.
Beyond survival, splendor and sheer sacrifice, you get the sense that neither Fiorina or Burson are totally comfortable in the limelight.
"There wasn't even a hesitation. I could see the two little ones. They were screaming and I was like 'Where's mom,'" Burson explained.
They are the faces of humbleness in a story about humanity.
Angel suffered devastating burns all over her body in the efforts to save her kids. She is still being treated for those burns. She said nothing else matters except that her kids were okay.
Other than the medal of honor, both Fiorini and Burson also received a cash reward.