When a house exploded in Twentynine Palms, California, on Aug. 21, off-duty Navy corpsmen left dinner to rush to the scene, teaming up with local Marines to rescue residents.
The corpsmen, assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Twentynine Palms, gathered at Kitchen in the Desert that night to honor Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Hareramdas Garcia, who was leaving the command.
Around 8:30 p.m., an explosion rang out across the neighborhood.
Hospitalman Mykrussel Dominguez Gonzales, an emergency department corpsman at Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, recalled the moment.
“We heard a loud explosion and immediately saw white smoke rising from the direction of the sound,” Gonzales said in a recent release. “Once we saw the smoke, we quickly ran toward it.”
They found a house engulfed in flames and partially collapsed. The cause of the explosion remains unknown.
Gonzales spotted someone waving for help inside the house. He saw one injured man trying to pull another from the structure.
Gonzales and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Aiden Keith entered the building to rescue the injured men.
“Recognizing the immediate danger, we immediately entered the house to provide assistance,” Gonzales recounted. “The roof had already partially collapsed and the flames were spreading.”
Surrounded by debris and fire, Gonzales lifted the trapped man’s upper body while Keith, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kareem Underwood and Marine Cpl. Zachary Voorhees, both assigned to 7th Marine Regiment, held his legs and carried him away from the burning structure.
“Helping where I could and minimizing any additional casualties was my greatest concern,” Keith said in the release.
Hospitalman Fernanda Palencia-Miranda helped evacuate residents from surrounding homes.
“I don’t think the danger really crossed my mind when I got up and headed toward the explosion,” Palencia-Miranda said. “I just thought I would want people to do the same if I were in that situation.”
The corpsmen and Marines continued assisting until civilian fire and medical personnel arrived.
One woman died in the explosion, while the second injured man was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center for treatment of significant burns.
Keith said his training helped him stay calm and think critically as the situation unfolded.
“I’ve been in the Navy for more than five years and have gone through multiple courses in tactical care,” Keith said. “That training definitely played a factor in staying calm, using critical thinking and helping with the situation.
Capt. Janiese Cleckley, commanding officer of NMRTC Twentynine Palms and director of Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, said she was proud of the corpsmen’s response.
“When the blast echoed through Twentynine Palms, they saw members of their community in need and didn’t hesitate,” Cleckley said. “They immediately stepped forward and used their training to help save two lives.”