For Juancho Hernangómez, visiting Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Denver Wednesday represented more than an average community event. It was a connection to his native Spain, where his cousin serves as a firefighter in Madrid.
“When he became a firefighter, it was like a dream come true,” Hernangómez explained. “We talk every week and he tells me everything he’s been through. The people he helps, the families – all of the crazy fires that they have to go through to save the families inside. It’s a pretty tough job, sometimes we forget how hard that kind of work [is] and how important it is for a community.