WHAT: The SAFD will recognize Viviana Castilleja for helping save a family from a house fire.
Last January, Castilleja was on her way to take her grandmother home from a fundraiser at a pizza parlor when she saw something catch her eye: fire.
She and her family were traveling on Edison Drive when she saw flames shooting from the top of a house. She told her mom what she saw. So they approached the home and knocked on the door, and after several tries, the residents answered, and they let them know their chimney was on fire.
The residents immediately evacuated and Castilleja’s mom called 911.
The fourth grader has some sage advice. “If you see a fire, tell an adult immediately so they can call 911 and tell them to evacuate.”
WHO:
SAFD Chief Valerie Frausto
Wilson Elementary Principal Cynthia Lopez-Odesky
Wilson Elementary heroine Viviana Castilleja
Leticia Rueda, Viviana’s mom
Wilson Elementary 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
WHEN: Monday, May 12, 2025, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Wilson Elementary School gymnasium, 1421 Clower St., 78201
MORE: Castilleja, who has attended Wilson Elementary since kindergarten, is in music club, chess club, robotics, and Gifted and Talented Education. The school, she said, is in her family’s genes. Her parents met there.
SUGGESTED PHOTO CAPTION: Castilleja even got to try on the chief’s jacket the day she notified the residents of the fire at their home.