29 March 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)—A Wind Surge pitcher surged into action Monday evening to rescue a man from his burning house.
Travis Adams, 24, is in Fort Myers, Florida, for spring training. On Monday, he was at home with his roommate, relaxing and playing video games, when they heard a loud bang.
“I kind of got off the couch and went to him and was like, ‘What was that?’ And looked out his window and just saw a big old ball of fire smoke in the air and ‘Oh, the house is on fire across the street.’ So as soon as he said that just ran out the door, in my socks at the time,” he said.
Adams saw a couple of people outside the house and began to ask around if anyone was inside, but no one knew.
“Me and another guy went up to the front door and just knocked on the door. We couldn’t hear anything and so we broke the window right by the door. They obviously knew who was the homeowner,” he said.
Adams began to shout at the homeowner, telling him that his house was on fire and that he needed to get out.
“We ended up being able to get the front door slightly open, but there was a bunch of like boxes and just stuff blocking the front door. We weren’t able to actually enter the house,” he said. “I tried to find another way. So I went to the right and saw another door in his backyard, and so I kind of tore down the fence and was able to get to the back and get the door open, move some boxes and stuff and help him get out of the house.”
All that happened before fire crews arrived.
“That fire was pretty big and they got there quick enough where they got it under control pretty quick, and it didn’t spread to other houses out here in Florida. There’s a lot of bushes, trees, and that kind of stuff, so I mean, that could’ve escalated to a lot worse, situation,” said Adams.
A firefighter was injured while putting out the fire, but they are recovering and expected to be OK. The 82-year-old was not injured.
Adams credits his instinct for the rescue.
“When I exited the house, I didn’t know if a family was in there. I’d really never seen anyone come or go into the house,” said Adams. “Instinct took over, and I just wanted to do as much as I can, tried to get whoever’s in there out.”
Adams was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 and was assigned to the Wind Surge in 2023. He finds out next week if he will be with the Wind Surge this season.