Hero who saved three Moscow children in fire awarded medal for courage

A great “Ura!” for Nikolai Evdokimov, a Russian good samaritan who saved the lives of three children in a dangerous fire.

Around 4:15 in the afternoon of January 17th, 2018, a Moscow apartment was engulfed in flames. Firefighters arrived within minutes, however, they were too late; amidst the evacuations, three children became trapped on a fourth story balcony which became for them a deathly furnace, but that’s not how their story was meant to end.

Nikolai Evdokimov was passing by on a bus when he saw and immediately told the driver to stop. The mark of a true hero is when you run towards the danger to save lives – and that is what Nikolai did without a moment of thought for himself.

He made it just in time, and the three children cried for help and said they intended to jump. Immediately he organized a rescue, inspiring bystanders to awake from their grey indifference into the sun-bathed glory of bravery.

He organized neighbors to stretch out blankets forming an improvised tent. The children jumped down to safety as if falling into the arms of an angle.

Their guardian angle Nikolai showed not the only selflessness, but the mark of a true leader. Far too few are even willing to help others to the extent they would run into a fire, even fewer have that rare spark inside of them that inspires others to run towards the fire with them.

Nikolai was all that and more, and for that, he was awarded the medal “For Bravery in a Fire” by Moscow’s head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, Ilya Denisov.

Nikolai’s actions certainly deserve attention and respect. His concern for the plight of the children speaks of a strong person with a highly developed sense of civic duty. Such actions, of course, deserve the highest awards and words of gratitude, ” said Denisov who decorated Nikolai.

The original report in Russian can be found at the Ministries website.

The story can easily remind a Russian Orthodox Chrisitan of the “Three Holy Youths in the Furnace“, the biblical tale in the Book of Daniel about three children who were saved from a fire which is extremely important in Russian culture. The children refused to give up their faith, and for that, they were thrown into a furnace, but Christ in the form of an angel appeared with them in the fire, both saving them, and prefiguring his resurrection.

It is also ironic that our Hero in this recent story was named Nikolai, as Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of Children in the Russian Orthodox tradition. It seems the Children never gave up hope they would be saved, and their faith proved true, a modern Saint Nicholas became their angel.

For Russian believers, it is impossible not to draw parallels. Whether you believe or not, it is certain that these children had a guardian angel with them in the fire. Many Years to Nikolai Evdokimov! Ura!