Arlington, TX, Firefighters Meet Man they Rescued from 'False Alarm' Turned Fire

Sept. 6, 2024
Firefighters from Arlington Engine 13 found the 65-year-old man unresponsive in bed after even though they were waived away from the scene.

Firefighters from the Arlington Fire Department were reunited with a man who they almost did not have the chance to save his life earlier this year.

Firefighters were called to an apartment complex and when they arrived, they were told they were not needed.

"When the first engine arrived, maintenance stated this was a false alarm," Assistant Chief Brent Shanklin told Fox4News.com. "The initial engine disregarded the second engine but remained on scene to verify there was no incident."

They checked the unit to find that a sprinkler system has contained a kitchen fire and that's when they saved Shoney Singh's life.

"There was definitely a kitchen fire. The cabinets were all burned. It had burned inside the kitchen," Lt. Michelle Dereta told the television station. "We were doing our search after we knew the fire was under control. That’s when we found him unresponsive."

The crew from Engine 13 removed Shoney, 65, from the apartment and crews took him to the hospital for serious smoke inhalation. 

He was hospitalized for two weeks.

"Since that incident, I don’t think there’s been a day I don’t thank God for them, these people because they do such a wonderful job," Singh said.

This week, the firefighters and paramedics who saved Singh received life-saving awards from the city.

About the Author

Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.