Corporal Preston Franks found Sami Roe unconscious inside a burning house on E. Northrup Drive in Midwest City around 3 a.m. on January 3, 2026 — and what happened in the minutes after would ultimately save her life. Firefighters carried her outside and provided emergency medical care before an ambulance crew rushed her to the hospital. In September 2026, about eight months after the fire, the crew that pulled her from the flames was publicly honored — and Roe herself returned to thank them in person.
According to KFOR.com, Franks was the first firefighter to locate Roe and entered the burning building to search for her, describing the interior as very dark and very loud. Major Ryan Ashley, serving as incident commander, recalled that flames and smoke were visible and that a possible patient was trapped inside when crews arrived. Fire crews arrived within minutes of reports of visible smoke and a trapped resident, and Ashley directed Ladder 6 to forgo standard fire attack and enter rescue mode instead, a tactical call that put the search for Roe ahead of fighting the blaze itself.
Reports described a trapped resident. Fire crews arrived after reports of visible smoke and a trapped resident, and moved into rescue mode.
A Long Recovery and an Emotional Reunion
Roe underwent a long recovery process after the fire. She has said she remembers coming to while receiving emergency care in the ambulance, telling responders she was burning as she woke. Months later, Roe and her family visited the fire station to thank the firefighters in person, a moment Ashley said meant a lot to responders. Franks said meeting the family affirmed that the crew's work makes a difference.
Ashley, Franks, and Watts received certificates and a challenge coin for the house-fire rescue. Quail Creek Bank and News 4 also honored Ashley and Ladder 6 through the Proud to Serve program, donating $500 toward the recognition. Ashley paid that donation forward, directing it to the Midwest City Fire Department, which will use it to fund its free smoke detector program.
Field Medicine Behind the Save
The rescue included emergency medical care after firefighters carried Roe from the house.
Free Smoke Detectors and a Wider Safety Push
The department's decision to route the award money into free smoke detectors reflects a broader public safety statistic. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire by 60 percent, yet roughly three out of five home fire deaths occur in properties without working smoke alarms, per research from the National Fire Protection Association. Beyond handing out free alarms on request, the fire department's Fire Prevention Division partners with groups like the American Red Cross and Safe Kids Oklahoma on door-to-door canvassing and child safety initiatives. The U.S. Fire Administration's national figures list 5.8 deaths and 19.7 injuries per 1,000 fires.
Midwest City has a fire department serving the community.
For Franks and the rest of the crew, the January rescue remains a reminder of what the job can mean on its best days. Roe survived a fire that could easily have ended differently, and the reunion at the fire station gave the responders something rarer than another call: a face, a name, and a thank you.
