Chandler nurse honored for heroic help with house fire

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

Nick Arreola says he doesn’t feel like a hero.

Kevin Hartke begs to differ.

Hartke, Chandler’s mayor, presented Arreola with a community hero award Nov. 10 at the City Council meeting.

Arreola, a Chandler resident who’s a nurse, was on his way home from a late-night shift in October when he passed a Chandler house that he saw was on fire. He stopped and banged on the door of the house, alerting the family inside about the fire.

All five Quezada family occupants escaped the house.

Arreola spoke at the council meeting, saying he did what he believed most people would do, and that he was in the right place at the right time.

“It’s kind of weird being called a hero,” Arreola said. “I don’t really feel like a hero. I feel like I did what everyone would do, but some people have said to me ‘I wouldn’t do that.’”

Arreola thanked his parents for raising him to be the kind of person who takes action. He said he was impressed and how fast Chandler fire, EMS and police were on-scene, and that firefighters and the quick response “pretty much saved the entire building.”

Members of Arreola’s family and the Quezada family took photos with the mayor and council.

Mayor Hartke thanked Council member Angel Encinas for bringing the incident to the attention of staff and council.

He said Arreola’s the kind of resident who he prefers to think of as a role model.

“Because of Nick, a family is alive today,” Hartke said. “We are reminded of the profound power and importance of looking out for one another.”

Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as those meet our  Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.