WOODSON TERRACE, Mo. – Christmas lights are still hanging as a reminder of a cold New Year’s Eve day that turned into a burning tragedy for Calvin Warren and his family.
“I was about to cry that night because we didn’t know what we was going to do and I was just devastated,” Warren said.
Before the blaze took over his home, Warren says he started to see a stream of smoke coming from the attic.
What he thought could’ve been handled by using some fans ended up being a more difficult task.
“I couldn’t get nothing but cups because the water hose is frozen,” Watson said. “So I’m getting cups and water and throwing it on the fire that’s dripping so the house wouldn’t blow up. That’s when the police came in and grabbed me, like, ‘Get out the house!'”
That quick action saved Warren’s life because, within minutes, he watched his home go up in flames.
Following the blaze, his family sifted through their belongings to salvage what they could, but it was the actions of two responding officers that touched Warren and his wife.
“Next thing we know, the police had come back and they had big box,” Warren said. “[It had] Homemade cookies in Ziploc bags, bears, juice, you name it! I don’t see how they put it together that fast!”
“They went beyond what they were supposed to do by bringing that food back for my kids,” Aisha Wilson said.
With that heartfelt moment on his mind, the father of four wrote a letter to Woodson Terrace Police Chief Butch Mayberry and the board of aldermen.
On Thursday, the board read that letter in their meeting to honor Officer David Moss and his partner for their thoughtful gesture.
“We didn’t do anything that these guys out here don’t do every day,” Moss said. “We just responded to the call and helped him the best way we could at the time!”
“You hear people say they signed up for it that’s what they get paid for, but its deeper than that, its way deeper than that,” Warren said.
Chief Mayberry was also recognized for his 40 years on the force. The chief said following the meeting that situations like this that remind him of the good people on his force and in the community.