Reluctant Heroes Honored For Life-saving Actions

Two men who rescued two young children from a burning duplex in Evansdale last month have been recognized for their life-saving efforts.

Travis Moen, 42, of Janesville, and Ryan Siems, 35, of Waverly, were honored by Evansdale Fire Chief Ryan Phillips during the council meeting Tuesday night (May 5, 2015). Each man was given a framed citation and other items from the fire department.

Afterward, Phillips said both men were reluctant heroes.

“They didn't really want to come. They aren't really publicity sort of people,” he explained. “I talked them into coming and they obliged.”

Siems works for the concrete company that Moen owns. The two men were preparing to pour concrete on a driveway near 326 Bellefontaine Street in Evansdale on April 6, when fire broke out inside one of the two two-story apartments.

“They ran into the fire, a fully involved fire,” Phillips said. “They grabbed the two kids, pulled them out of the fire and saved their lives.”

The fire started in an upstairs bedroom and spread quickly, filling the apartment with flames and thick smoke within seconds. No one was injured in the blaze, but Phillips said the result would have been different if not for the actions of Moen and Siems.

“The kids wouldn't have made it out,” the fire chief said.

Moen and Siems received a standing-ovation from city leaders and the people who filled the council chambers. Phillips said the recognition was well-deserved.

“It's a pretty big honor to come and get something like that,” he said. “It's something they'll probably never get again.”