U.S. Army veteran Arthur Chavarria saved an elderly woman from a house fire in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Nov. 1, 2024. (Pyeongtaek Fire Station)

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — A quiet evening at home took a chaotic turn for U.S. Army veteran Arthur Chavarria when his wife, Kim Dong Young, opened the door on Nov. 1 and shouted, “There’s a fire!”

Chavarria was headed for bed that night, but instead slipped on a pair of flip-flops and ran toward smoke rising from an old house in Seokgeun village near Camp Humphreys.

“I heard a woman screaming — a really loud, desperate scream,” he told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. “The moment I heard that, I just ran toward the residence.”

What happened next earned the couple a commendation from the Pyeongtaek Fire Department and praise from Fire Chief Kang Bong-ju.

“We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Chavarria for quickly reporting the fire and rescuing a precious life,” Kang said at Wednesday’s commendation ceremony.

When he rushed outside that night, Chavarria saw a neighboring homeowner, an elderly woman, heading back into the burning structure.

“I thought, ‘There’s probably somebody in there if she’s going back inside,’ ” he said.

Chavarria followed her in and quickly realized she was alone, attempting to fight the flames with a garden hose.

“She was handing me the hose, wanting me to help her put out the fire,” he said. But the smoke was heavy, and he could not let her stay. “She could’ve passed out or worse,” he added.

Chavarria urged her to leave, but she hesitated, worried about valuables left behind. “I understand — she was about to lose everything, her entire home,” he said.

Finally, he guided her to a side door that he forced open and the two escaped safely, he said.

Meanwhile, Kim had called Pyeongtaek firefighters, who arrived quickly and contained the blaze by early morning, although the house was a total loss, Park Byung-jun, the prevention measures team leader, told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday.

The woman wasn’t injured but inhaled smoke and declined a hospital visit, Park said.

Officials suspect the blaze started in an overheated wood boiler in the traditional Korean-style house, where the tile roof and wood frame contributed to the quick spread of flames, Park said.

Kim was stunned by the sight of her husband entering the burning home, she said by text message Wednesday.

“I was so shocked I couldn’t even think of doing anything,” she said. “I just called my husband’s name.”

Seeing him emerge with the woman brought her relief and pride.

“If my husband had come out a little later, he would have died with the grandmother in that house,” Kim said. “Life and death depend on what an individual does in a moment.”

Chavarria, who said he is an Army veteran but declined to discuss the details of his service, said he doesn’t see himself as a hero.

“This is a pretty normal thing to do,” he said. “It’s normal to help your neighbors. I’d do it again.”

He said he hopes people will check in on elderly family members, especially in older homes.

“A lot of these houses are really old,” he said. “I hope people take this as a reminder to check on their parents and grandparents, and make sure their fire safety is up to date.”