MACON, Ga. — When the Green Meadows Townhouses caught fire Wednesday morning, 45 people were without a home. But one Macon-Bibb County firefighter made a little boy's day just a bit brighter.
When Sergeant Joseph Teal arrived on the scene that morning for a shift change, someone grabbed his attention.
"I noticed this little boy. He was running around," said Teal.
He went to help the family save what they could from their home, but it wasn't much.
"He told me that he lost his firetruck in the fire," Teal said.
Immediately, his fatherly instincts kicked in.
"It weighed on my heart knowing… I'm a father of two, and every time I respond on these scenes, I see kids, and it touches me differently," he said.
So Teal went to a nearby store and bought socks and shoes to replace the little boy's wet bedroom slippers and got him a brand new toy firetruck.
"The smile on his face was priceless," Teal said.
Teal said he let the boy look inside the real firetruck, and he was thrilled.
"That's what we're here for, and that's what... we serve the community to the best of our abilities, and we try to lighten the situation during tragic events," he said.
Teal said he grew up loving firetrucks the way this little boy does, so he decided to turn it into a career. Now he's been a fireman for the last 15 years and loves every minute of it.
"Yes, we see some terrible things, but just the joy of this incident right here just makes it all worth it," he said.
Teal said he wants the young man to know he is welcome to stop by Station 8 anytime to see the firetrucks and hang out with the firemen.
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