Anastasios Adamopoulos has been a driver for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) for about a year now, but he’s never seen anything quite like this. The 63-year-old was on his 2 a.m. route when he spotted flames. With only one passenger onboard with him, a man named Chris Campbell, the bus driver didn’t hesitate to make sure the residents got out before the fire got too out of control. In fact, even Chris joined him.
“We started banging on doors and yelling ‘fire, fire, fire!’ at the top of our lungs and just trying to wake as many people up and alert as many people as we possibly could,” Anastasios recalls. “The only thing I was focused on was getting the people out.”
Getting closer, it was clear that two homes were engulfed in the flames. And thanks to the quick action of these two heroes, everyone was able to get out safely. According to Anastasios, there were about 14 people, including several children.
“Thank God everyone got out,” the driver says.
Brave Bus Driver and Passenger Spot a Fire — Then Jump Into Action
Once residents of the homes made it outside, they were welcomed on Anastasios’ bus as firefighters arrived. Although it’s still unclear how the fire got started or where, one of the homes lost its roof and back porch. Thankfully, though, the American Red Cross is said to be helping those displaced by the fire.
“We applaud this operator’s quick thinking and brave actions to help fellow Chicagoans,” his employer, the CTA, says.
After about 45 minutes of helping out these residents, Anastasios continued on with his shift. He’s being hailed a hero for his bravery and quick thinking, but he insists that what he did isn’t heroic.
“I don’t think I did anything more than what the next guy would do,” he says.
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