Jose Arias doesn’t consider himself a hero, but others see him through a different lens.

The 16-year-old will be honored Feb. 11 at the Fairfield City Council meeting for pulling his two younger sisters out of their burning home. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at the Fairfield Municipal Building, 5350 Pleasant Ave.

Jose, a Fairfield High School sophomore, was sitting in the living room watching television at about 1:30 a.m. Jan. 5 when he smelled smoke coming from the girls’ bedroom.

When he opened the bedroom door, he saw fire on the wall next to the beds where a small space heater was on fire. He carried 9-year-old Sachelin, who was closest to the door and took her outside. He returned to get 4-year-old Yarnali.

“Everything was dark and filled with smoke already,” Jose said through an interpreter, Sonia Aguila, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Fairfield High School. “I found my way to the girls’ bedroom, found my little sister on her bed with flames around her and pulled her out, too.”

The three were taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital Fairfield, but the following day, the girls were admitted to Shriners Hospitals for Children - Cincinnati. The girls suffered burns on their arms, hands and face. Jose had some minor burns on his face.

Their parents were both working their jobs at a factory when fire broke out. The American Red Cross put the family up at the Holiday Inn Express in Fairfield for two days.

However, the Church of the Nazarene in Fairfield came forward to help the family. The Rev. Terry Blosser contacted church members, and many offered to pay for additional days at the hotel until the family found another place to live.

They’ve found a home, but Jose’s mother will not be able to work for awhile because she needs to take care of the girls.

Jose was born in the Dominican Republic and his family have lived in Fairfield for 1½ years.

His favorite things about school are his teachers and friends. He mentioned the help and support he receives from his teachers and tutors. His favorite subjects are math and ESL.

“He is a very humble, quiet young man and very respectful to everyone,” Aguila said. “His teachers think highly of him. He always does his schoolwork and does not complain.”

For fun, Jose likes to play baseball and go out with his friends. He aspires to be a professional baseball player or engineer.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders when asked about being recognized by the city. He said he was just doing what any big brother would do.

“They are my little sisters, and I am responsible for them when our parents are not home,” he said. “I don’t think that I should be called a hero because I did what I had to do to save my little sisters.”