City councilors met Tuesday, January 12, to present plaques as honors to a Pearsall man who rescued a woman from a raging house fire last June and a late city employee.
On June 15, Homer Leal rushed into the home of his neighbor on Rio Grande Street after he saw the woman’s home fully engulfed in flames.
“We got the call that there was someone trapped inside the home,” Pearsall Volunteer Fire Chief Placido Aguilar said. “It was a pretty hot fire. It was no surprise to me that Homer had already pulled her out.”
Although the elderly woman succumbed to her injuries some days later at a San Antonio hospital, Aguilar credits Leal for the woman having those extra days.
“He gave that lady a chance,” the fire chief said.
Pearsall City Manager Federico Reyes presented the second plaque to the son of former employee Trine Ovalle for his years of dedication to city service.
“What Trine did is a humbling job,” the city manager said. “They do not get a lot of credit for what they do.”
Ovalle served the city for 29 years. The long-serving city employee lost his life to complications of coronavirus in November.
“He was a great person and a great mentor,” Public Works Director Hector Gandara said.
