BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11)–It was a special ceremony in the Bronx honoring “Everyday Heroes.” Four Bronx residents were honored Thursday at the New York Botanical Garden.
One of them was a Bronx father who rushed into a burning building to save six people.
“I just did something to help,” the father of three said, recalling seeing the fire before Thanksgiving.
Four other Bronx residents, including a city employee who has served New York for 27 years were also honored.
Bronx City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca said what 44-year-old Ashanta Smith did was absolutely extraordinary.
Smith’s reaction was to move fast when he saw a house fire across from a hunts point recreation center, where he is a manager. He heard someone screaming for help when saw those flames, he sprang into action. There were two families inside.
What Smith did next was unbelievable. He ran into a burning two-story home and helped six residents escape before it became fully engulfed. Smith says he would do it all again if he had to, the bravery he learned from his mother.
Each one of these everyday heroes got a special proclamation.
