Postal carrier helps save elderly woman in Whittier house fire

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Each morning the envelopes get sorted as Christine Garcia prepares for her route in Whittier. The deliveries came to a sudden and urgent stop a few weeks ago when she sensed trouble at a home on Tigrina Avenue.

"As soon as I dropped off the mail, I smelled smoke, I heard the smoke detector going off, I banged on the door, but there was no response," Garcia said.

Garcia called for help, and firefighters rushed to the scene. They found an elderly woman inside the home who had fallen, and food on a stove sparked a kitchen fire.

Garcia is grateful she was able to help.

"It could have gotten worse and I was able to step up and do a good deed," she said.

The Post Office is honoring her quick thinking. They encourage their carriers to get involved when they sense trouble.

Garcia's route covers close to 700 addresses, and for her, those families and businesses are like family: "You get to know your customers, you see them all the time."

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom will keep Garcia from delivering the mail, and along the way, if you're lucky enough to be on her route, she'll also be watching your back.