Houston firefighter who rescued three others from apartment fire speaks

HOUSTON - The Houston firefighter credited with heading straight into harms way and saving the lives of three fellow firefighters in an apartment fire is speaking to us exclusively about that fateful day.

Houston firefighter Angel Gaitan, 32, is an Army veteran who commutes all the way from San Antonio to Houston to work.

Who is Houston firefighter Angel Gaitan?

What we know:

Gaitan quit the fire department after working there for one and a half years.

"My car was breaking down almost every time I came. Sometimes I had to Uber to work from wherever I was broken down, and it just became stressful. I was spending more money than I needed to just to get to work," said Gaitan.

He was rehired last month in December after learning about the new "Reignite Your Passion Campaign" to help with the firefighter shortage.

3 firefighters injured in apartment fire

The backstory:

Around 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, firefighters responded to a report of an apartment fire with people trapped on Jarmese Street near Coffee Street.

Officials say Station 46 crews conducted a primary search while others worked to control the fire.

RELATED: 3 Houston firefighters injured while battling fire at apartment complex

At some point, Senior Captain Edward Escamilla, Firefighter Darren Jones, Firefighter Jonathan Guzman became trapped.

Firefighter Gaitan's rescue

What we know:

Thirty minutes before his shift was over, Gaitan got the call. "Things happened. The building flashed. That’s when the mayday was dropped," said Gaitan.

"There was fire all around us, it was behind us. You shouldn’t let the fire get behind you, but our concern then was getting our guys out," he said. "I could see his gear burned off, as well as Jones. You could see skin."

Gaitan was able to quickly get the firefighters out.

"I feel like everything I did in my life led me to that day. It was just kind of hard to grasp it a little bit."

Gaitan's response:

Gaitan says while the commute to and from work is long, but a small price to pay.

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"It was an honor to be there that day. Not just there, but here. Even if that day didn’t happen. Just showing up to work here every day is just amazing. I feel like a kid again. Being here is just awesome." Over in San Antonio are his wife and 2-year-old son, and they are expecting their second baby girl any day!

What you can do:

As far as the firefighters- all three are making great progress. To find out how you can help the firefighters recover, visit this website.