Gresham High student, 14, pulls child from burning house
TROUTDALE, Ore. – A 14-year-old boy scampered up a ladder into a burning house Monday night and pulled a young child to safety.
The fire started at about dusk in a two-story home in the 2500 block of Southwest Hewitt.
Eduardo Ugarte and his son, Marcos, who live on the street, heard yelling and screaming. They came outside, saw the flames and ran to help.
While the child's family had made it safely outside, the boy was still in a second-floor bedroom.
Eduardo rushed inside the house to try to save the child but found heavy smoke and a door was locked. He tried pounding on the door but the boy didn't open it. When he came outside, he saw his son, a freshman at Gresham High School, going up a ladder to rescue the child.
"I took the ladder, and I propped it up on the window, and I crawled up the window and punched the screen out and grabbed the 7-year-old boy – about 7, he looked 7 – and grabbed him and carried him down the ladder," said Marcos.
"It's one of those moments that you would hope that your offspring would not buckle and shine, and he certainly did," said Eduardo.
Gresham Fire Battalion Chief Mark Maunder said he can't recall every seeing a 14-year-old spring into action like Marcos did.
"This was a very fast moving incident and for him to be able to keep his composure and break the window out and actually get the child down is just unbelievable," Maunder said. "He did a great job."
The young boy was taken to the hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation but there were no injuries.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The second floor had extensive damage.
This young man will make a great PJ one day. Good job, Marcos!
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 @TundraTuniq No,Barlow rules Gresham sucks
 @Jim330rifle  @TundraTuniq oh please â do grow up a bit.
Heroes get chicks. Milk this for all it's worth, young man!
Hero alert! Good job young man.
What a little hero!
Wow! Awesome kid!
Hero=Eduardo Ugarte!!! You will lead by example!!! Good job and if my house is on fire, I hope you are walking by.
Hero's come in all sizes! WTG! A courageous young man! Dad you have done a great job! :)
Marcos - this is the kind of high that you want to be riding for the rest of your life. Nothing else can compare with this. You acted quickly and bravely and are a true hero. Take this positive experience with you throughout your life and you will have happiness and success wherever you go. Your father sounds very proud of you and he should be. Good job Mr. Ugarte on raising a fine young man. You are a hero as well.
Nice job Marcos. you deserve a medal for your courage and for being a HERO.
Know I just wish the rest of the youth would follow your example and bravery.
I know , I know. It will never happen. But it's wishful thinking.Â
Awesome job kiddo!!!
courage = grace under pressure; in spades in this case. Good on ya, sounds like pops is a pretty stand up guy as well outstanding to both.
Nice work kid. You saw a problem, came up with a reasonable and workable solution and acted decisively to save a life.
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You can be very proud of yourself for what you did.
The story states that the family of the child got out safely while the little boy was inside the house. My child would have been the first one out and myself last. There is no way I could go running out of the house and leave a child on the second floor to fend for himself. Also, congrats to the young man who climbed up the ladder to save the boy. You sound like a great young man and we wish you many years of happiness .
The words of Martin Luther King, Jr come to mind- Â The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.Â
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Marcos, you demonstrate the type of character that I would love to believe exists in us all. The difference is that your character led you to act, rather than just talk about it. Well done, young man. Someone get that boy a medal!
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"It's one of those moments that you would hope that your offspring would not buckle and shine, and he certainly did," said Eduardo.
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Indeed he did, Mr Ugarte. Your paternal stewardship has raised quite a young man.Â
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 @MarkKpic Yes. Indeed.
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This makes my heart happy! Â There ARE good people in the world! Â Sometimes good things DO happen!
Just an amazing, inspiring story to start the day. Such a brave young man. He is a true hero.Â
Wait for the asinine comments. Just wait. Cuz, as well all know, people who don't "look American", even though the continent stretches all the way to the Chile, will be chopped to pieces on here in the second. But hey, it's the free market, right?
The skunk is usually the first to complain abou the foul smell in the air.Â
 @Finally Is that some gay republican reference?
 @Finally  @on My posts are B.S. obviously.
@on shing dao The only people I talk about frying or shooting are criminals and that is in the context of capital punishment or self defense.
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Of course I think you mean what you say, but since you seem to think it's funny to go to the extreme and mockingly "exaggerate" what others say, then you only prove your own hypocrisy and relegate your own posts to the B.S. file.
 @Finally You think I actually mean any of what I'm saying? I take what people say on here and exaggerate it. It's kind of funny how people play the innocence card then another post they will take about frying, shooting, or stabbing someone. Mocking someone different from them, calling people lazy and worthless. Doesn't sound very nice does it?
on shing dao -
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For someone who thinks of themself as tolerant, you seem to be full of a lot of hate.
 @Finally "The one that smelled it, dealt it."
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@on shing dao Yeah, I'm kind of surprised someone hasn't chimed in, asking for his immigration status.Â
 @OSUx2  @on I don't what his immigrant status WAS, but I hope that it soon IS "legal"
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It would just be XXXX if he got deported for stepping up.
 @TundraTuniq  @OSUx2 If citizenship is grant for hard work and brave acts, then almost every Hispanic in this country would obtain citizenship.
 @on shing daoÂ
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Sounds like you are promoting racism. All the comments I have read have been nothing but positive, supportive and mentioned nothing about what you seem to think about most of the day.
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And what does making comments on a board like this have to do with the "free market". Of do you mean "free speech" and don't know the difference.
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You really are a pathetic human.
 @RalphCramden I don't need to when the KATU community does it themselves. Me? I live surroundings by Hispanic people. Love them. Hard workers. This kid did great work. But remove this kid from this story and he's just another "illegal". No one is "illegal". Calling people that term is awfully authoritarian. But hey, the KATU community is always right, so what do I know? Glad to know this boy got the approval of the KATU community (like it means anything).
 @on shing daoÂ
I think the irony is that you don't understand what is going on. For us, looking at you, the irony is that we know you don't know what is going on but you pretend to understand what is going on.
 @RalphCramden Oh, I'll never leave this beautiful community because the irony is just oh so lovely.
 @on shing dao Â
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You really need to go somewhere else to post since you have such disdain for everyone else on this board. I know that the Huffpost is full of elitists such as yourself and you would be more at home.Â
 @RalphCramden  @on shing dao He's right. All it'll take is one hint that he or his parents might not have legal status, and the bigots will come out in full force.
 @starshadow    @on shing daoÂ
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I am thinking that being bigoted against people committing crimes was a good thing. I admit I am a bigot when it comes to criminals.
 @on shing dao Congrats for being the first.
Congratulations, Marcos! You set a exemplary example for others. Keep up being the best you can be, and success will follow you. So glad you were there....