Town of Georgetown honors landscapers for heroism under fire

Sposato Landscape crew members were officially recognized by the Town of Georgetown for their bravery and quick actions responding to a recent house fire that killed one resident and severely burned another in Georgetown’s Cinderberry neighborhood.  

“Many people in this town will never forget what you’ve done,” said Georgetown Mayor Bill West as he read the town’s proclamations to the honorees. “Your quick thinking and response probably saved a life and prevented extensive property damage. The whole community will not forget your selflessness and acts of heroism. When you saw smoke coming from a garage and heard a voice call out for help, you reacted quickly and unselfishly.” 

Sposato employees Mason Alexander, Joel Rivera, Daniel Branham and Felipe Velasquez heard one of the burn victims call for help and sprang into action. Two of them ran into the burning house with fire extinguishers and started putting out the fire. They also assisted two burn victims – one whom later died from her burns and the other who is still recovering. 

The crew, who were edging flower beds in the neighborhood, called 911 and directed the first responders to the scene. They also moved their vehicles out of the way to allow emergency vehicles access to the fire and burn victims.  

“I just wanted to say that you men are heroes,” said Cinderberry resident Barbara Holston. “When I saw the house burning, there was smoke pouring out. If it wasn’t for you guys, that house would have burned to the ground and may have spread to other houses.” 

 “We’re very proud of our people,” said company owner Tony Sposato. “We train our people on safety and anticipating emergencies. Part of their daily safety check is making sure they have a charged fire extinguisher on board in case a fire occurs on their vehicle. I’m glad they were in a position to help.”