‘Rib man’ saves family, ribs from north Fresno apartment fire

Robert Wright was hungry.

So when his neighbor’s north Fresno apartment caught fire around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, he acted quickly to make sure the ribs he was cooking – and his family – made it out safely.

In a video taken by KMPH News, Wright, holding the rack of ribs, says he was barbecuing when he saw flames burst out of his next-door neighbor’s window.

“Only thing I think first, man, is make sure the ribs is right,” he says. “Then I went over and got my family, man, and brought everybody out safely. I carried everybody out myself.”

Fresno Fire Department spokesman Pete Martinez said the cause of the single-story apartment complex fire at 1674 E. Roberts Ave. remains under investigation. A woman and child escaped out of a window from the apartment that caught fire. They were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation.

Four adults and three children were displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross, Martinez said. He said no property is ever worth going back for during a fire.

“We like ribs, we like to barbecue,” Martinez said. “We get it, but still.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 12:35 PM with the headline "‘Rib man’ saves family, ribs from north Fresno apartment fire."