I left my home that morning to go and work-- I am a street vendor who sells jewelry. I often sell my wares in restaurants. I try to sell the tourists jewelry once they have finished their lunch.

Around 1pm, I was crossing the street when I saw smoke coming out of Carrer del Port Street. I went up to the building to see what was happening. As I got closer, I saw that there were lots of people gathered around a small, two-story building. There was lots of smoke.

At that point, I heard a man calling for help out of the window. People said that a gas canister had already exploded inside the building and that the man trapped inside would surely suffocate. Four young men were trying to break down the door to the building to no avail.

The neighbours, who were gathered around the building were saying, “We hope that he doesn’t die, but we aren’t going to go inside. We can’t take the risk of dying as well; we have to think of our families.





Gorgui Lamine Sow sauve Alex de l'incendie.

Photo de Roberta Etter Gorgui Lamine Sow sauve Alex de l'incendie.

Photo de Roberta Etter Gorgui Lamine Sow sauve Alex de l'incendie.

Photo de Roberta Etter Gorgui Lamine Sow sauve Alex de l'incendie.

Photo de Roberta Etter



At that moment, I just forgot everything. I dropped the bag containing my wares and I started climbing. I climbed up the wrought iron security door and then the balcony. I picked up the man from his wheelchair and put him over my shoulder. Then I went back out on the balcony and got down with the help of a ladder that the neighbours had brought over.

"I washed my hands and I went back to working"

I definitely didn’t think of the risks that I was taking when I did it. If I had stopped to think for even just one second, I never would have done it.



Afterwards, I washed my hands at a neighbour’s house and then I picked up my bags and I went back to working at Denia port.

I later learned that the neighbours were looking for me but they only had my photo and no way of contacting me.

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I sell my jewelry at the market to try and reach as many visitors as possible. Some of the other street vendors told me that people had come looking for me. These people asked the other vendors if they knew me and showed them the photos of me taken during the fire. They were saying things like: “He’s an extraordinary man; he’s special!”