Dominican, Haitian workers join to save two children from blaze

Santo Domino (elnacional.com.do). – Social frictions wereleft behind and solidarity of the highest form took over when a group ofconstruction workers, Dominicans and Haitians joined to save the lives of twochildren trapped by a 14th floor blaze in a building in the upscale sector of Nacoon Saturday.

House painter Juan Ruiz, carpenter Yerdi Mesa, brickmason Genar Tomas and the domestic Agustin Terrero became heroes who defieddeath to keep the desperate children from jumping to escape the flames andsmoke.

Ruiz, 31, who is used to heights told reporters how his colleagues tiedhim with a rope to rappel from the rooftop to the 14th floor ofthe San Juan Metropolitan building on Tiradentes Av., to save the minor whodesperately yelled for help from a rear window.

"When I saw the screaming kids I thought of mychildren. I cried out for God to help me and I went for them without hesitation,"said a moved Ruiz, adding that he didn’t stop to think that they were peoplewho in most cases, being a poor worker don’t even tell him the time of day.