When Bobby Petrini graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco in 2003, with its school banner “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve,” he never imagined that just seven years later, his service would involve a heroic rescue. On September 9th, a massive explosion of a gas pipeline set a San Bruno, California, community in flames. Bobby and his father Bob Petrini rushed to the site to see if they could help. Because of their actions, four elderly residents of an assisted-living care home were saved.

Standing in their backyard that evening, the father and son felt the massive shock wave from the gas explosion and saw the fireball rise above the trees. Both men immediately jumped into their car and headed toward the disaster. By chance, they stopped near Golden Era Home Care where they found that three aged women were still stranded in the house because the caregiver had fled. After moving them out of danger, the senior Petrini made his way back into the building for one final check, against the warnings of police and firefighters. It was fortunate that he did; a 96-year-old resident, deaf and bedridden, was still confined in a room to the rear of the house, her hospital bed too large to move through the door. Father and son were joined by another civilian volunteer, and they managed to lift Mary Sweeney from her bed and out to safety minutes before searing heat would have made the rescue impossible. The rescue was covered by local news media. http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_16082497