MIAMI (WSVN) – A high school student was hailed as a hero and lauded for doing the right thing after saving a retired deputy from a burning building.
Rami Ouazza, a senior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School was honored on Wednesday by the Miami Police Department for his actions after he ran into a burning building to save his neighbor, a retired deputy, months ago.
“On Nov. 4, Rami woke up to his apartment building on fire,” said the announcer.
The ceremony shone a light on students who showed bravery, compassion and quick thinking during tough situations.
The fire burned through an apartment complex in Northeast Miami-Dade, with residents waking up to the blaring sounds of a fire alarm.
While others had heard false alarms before, Ouazza took action.
“Something inside me just felt like it was a little bit different,” Ouazza said, “I was thinking about the smoke coming into my lungs, but there were more important things, making sure everybody didn’t think it was a false alarm as well, so I was just worried about knocking on all the doors, making sure everybody’s out, and that’s all I was thinking.”
That was when Ouazza decided to do the right thing, and ran towards danger, joining others to rescue a trapped neighbor, who is a disabled retired deputy.
“And I saw a bunch of smoke, I made sure my family was able to exit out safely, and then I went to go help the retired police officer evacuate the building, trying to save his house,” he said, “I knew him prior to the fire, we talked a lot, he’s a good friend, he worked for Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.”
On Wednesday, his lifesaving bravery got him the recognition that he deserved, and he was honored for his courage under fire.
“What you heard from Rami was nothing short of incredible, you know, running into a home that’s on fire and saving folks,” said Miami Police Chief Manny Morales. “One of them a retired officer. That absolutely takes an amount of bravery that I don’t think a lot of folks in our community have.”
“I feel outstanding,” said Ouazza. “It’s a great feeling to be selected for the Do The Right Thing top 10 winners.”
Despite his moment in the spotlight, Ouazza remains a humble hero.
“I think it was doing the right thing, I think it was doing the right thing,” he said, “If you’re able to defend other people that can’t defend themselves, because he was an injured police officer, I think you should go in and use your strength to go help.”
Out of more than 800 nominees, Ouazza was one of only 10 being honored.
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