When Riza Kasikcioglu saw an orange ball of flame coming from an apartment building across the street, he ran inside the burning building to alert residents.
The fatal fire ripped through the apartment on Jasper Avenue and 118 Street on January 19, 2017.
That night, Kasikcioglu ran up to the top floor where the fire started and pounded on doors. It was there that he mysteriously summoned the strength to carry a woman in a wheelchair down seven flights of stairs.
The woman was a regular customer at his donair shop, Maximo’s, and later on, he tired to carry her in the wheelchair but was never able to.
He saved at least three others that night.
This week, Kasikcioglu was among 43 people honoured by the Governor General at Rideau Hall, where he received a Medal of Bravery.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “It’s a big honour for me.”
‘Disaster’: A year and a half later
The local hero battled a benign brain tumour in December 2017.
Maximo’s was closed while Kasikcioglu was in hospital, causing financial problems since the business was his family’s only source of income.
The local Turkish community rallied behind him, fundraising to help pay for medical expenses that weren’t covered and renovating his shop.
But after re-opening Maximo’s for a couple of months, Kasikcioglu made the decision to sell it because working on his feet for long hours proved too difficult.
He called the last few months ‘a disaster’ but now has a renewed sense of optimism after receiving the Medal of Bravery.
“I’m feeling very good. This is the best part of my life because I did something and the people doing good things for me, so it is fantastic,” he said
He is now unemployed and said he is hopeful he will find a job soon because he has the local Turkish community’s support.
