HOUSTON, Texas – A homeless man helped first responders when their Houston firefighters were trapped beneath a collapsed wall during a 3-alarm fire in Houston’s East End.
The fire claimed the life of 42-year-old HFD firefighter Marcelo Garcia on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
When KPRC 2 returned to the scene of the fire, we found investigators from the Houston Fire Department and Houston Police Department conducting their probe into the deadly fire. The investigators shared the story of a homeless man named Dave, a man they said Houstonians should know about. The investigators told KPRC 2 Dave risked his life the night of the fire. They said he was at the scene and attempted to help, suffering some burns in the process and a week later still bore the bandages from those wounds.
We asked how to get in touch with Dave and the investigators took us to the end of the block where they said he lives and made their way through the overgrown brush to help pull Dave out and introduce us to him. In doing so, they again applauded his actions and told both Dave and us that his story was worth highlighting.
Ultimately, David Suchil shared his story, telling us he was present during the fire, and although he wasn’t armed with firefighter gear, he saw Houston firefighters in need and said he decided to help them.
“Before going in, I thought to myself, ‘If I was down there, would I have wanted someone to help me? And the answer was, yes,“ Suchil said.
“I give the credit to God that I was able to be there, at that timing, to do that,” Suchil said. ”I feel that this is God’s way of putting some positivity in my life because there’s so much negative. I’m grateful to God, really.”
Suchil is originally from Odessa, Texas. He told KPRC 2’s Joy Addison he is the son of a pastor, but says he’s lived a life that’s far from perfect or “angelic.” He’s been homeless nearly half of his 49 years of life, and says he’s also spent several years in prison.
He landed in Houston two years ago, after violating his parole. Suchil says he knows no one in the area and has little contact with the outside world. He doesn’t own a phone. But, he says the chance to help save another person’s life reminded him that he has a purpose, even if he doesn’t have a home.
“It was scary. But, thank God he gave me the heart to help. The timing wasn’t mine. It was God’s. Spending most of our lives not being useful-- in that moment, I felt useful.”
