3rd Infantry Division Soldier Saves People from Burning Building

3rd Infantry Division Soldier Saves People from Burning Building

Reported By SGT D.Smiřický March 9

U.S. Army photo by SGT Duke Edwards

FORT STEWART, Ga. — “I get out of my vehicle and run over to the railing, yelling down to individuals ‘Hey is that building on Fire?,’ with them responding ‘yes,’ I climbed over the railing and jumped onto a garbage can then onto the ground, running towards the building,” said Warrant Officer Zarah Dimond.
Dimond, a cyberspace defense warrant officer assigned to Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division arrived a day earlier than her peers to attend a defensive cyber operations symposium at Fort Carson, Colorado, only to take action in saving lives around her. Demonstrating the selfless leader she is, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The morning of Dec. 4, 2023, Dimond heated up her rental car in the hotel’s parking garage before driving in cold weather when she began to smell smoke, assuming that the car had a defective heating system until she looked up. She saw people frantically leaving the building next door in a cloud of smoke.
Those close to Dimond would not be surprised by her instincts. Serving your country is a duty that comes with being a member of the armed forces, and she does this obligation devotedly and selflessly.

“As I’m banging on the doors, I find a man stumbling his way through the hallway,” said Dimond. “I grabbed him by the arm and guided him towards the door to get him outside.”
She continued to gather more individuals, repeatedly going in and out the burning building despite the risk to her own health and what she could be leaving behind. Dimond has five children, all of which idolize her as a single mother. However, she couldn’t shake the thought that people in the building also had families waiting for them at home.

“For those people who are in there, they have families too,” said Dimond. “Something as simple as going in there to get them out can save a whole life and a whole family from grief.”
The act of saving others with pure intentions spoke volumes about her character. Fellow Soldiers and superiors recommended her for an award in recognition of her heroic actions.

“She’s always ready to help and always prepared to answer a question,” said Cpt. Donny Lopera, a network engineer assigned to 3rd ID. “When a person with five kids takes the initiative to enter a burning building without hesitation, it’s personal courage and selfless service.”
Dimond emphasized that in the Army, selfless service extends farther than just one Soldier. The foundation is in each team member's dedication to persevere a bit longer, examine a little more closely and go a little farther to find ways that may contribute to the efforts.

“We need more leaders who are willing to do more than their job for anybody,” said Dimond. “If we start acts of service, generosity and kindness to others; it’ll be infectious and the United States Army’s population will grow.”

It’s also important as a Soldier to embody the trait of personal courage similar to what Dimond has displayed because in the face of adversity, a Soldier will face fear or danger whether it be physically or morally. Additionally, it is crucial for leaders to consistently lead by example to set these expectations of our Soldiers.

Later on, it was discovered that the fire originated in a crawl space, mainly including electrical smoke that crept in and consumed the building. If it wasn’t for Dimond’s brave actions that day, the outcome could have been drastically different.

Courage and a love for our brothers, sisters, and even neighbors is what makes Soldiers unique in a world full of uncertainty as Dimond has reminded us all. (U.S. Army article by Spc. Destiny Husband)