Along with a Carabiniere and a Finance Police officer, he saved several homeless people from the flames that had engulfed their blankets. For this reason, the Cagliari City Council decided to award a civil merit award to Massimiliano Miliddi, a worker who had performed an act of courage and selflessness.
The reconstruction
The events date back to January 29th and were reconstructed by the commander of the Carabinieri, Brigadier General Luigi Grasso:
At approximately 6:15 a.m., Car. Sc. Marina Cau, assigned to the Operations and Logistics Section of the Command Office of this Provincial Command, while driving in her car along Via Molo Sant'Agostino in this town to begin duty at this Command, upon arriving near the Agip gas station located there, noticed flames, approximately one and a half meters high, which had affected some blankets placed on railings that formed a sort of "cover" for a bench used as a makeshift shelter by two homeless people.
Realizing the extremely dangerous situation, she quickly stopped the car and, after getting out, approached the two people, who were still asleep and unaware of the fire that was spreading to their blankets, to try to wake them. At the same time, two other passersby, Massimiliano Miliddi and Davide Magnini, alerted by the sight of the fire, approached the scene. The three, in a coordinated manner and using makeshift means, including some blankets found nearby, attempted to put out the fire, but were unsuccessful.
Marina Cau, realizing the flames had reached such a size that blankets alone could not be put out, helped wake the two homeless people and move them away from the blaze. She then went to her car and grabbed a crate of bottled water, which she and two other rescuers used to put out the flames. Once the emergency was over, the Superintendent of the Guardia di Finanza contacted the operations center and requested the intervention of the Fire Brigade to clear the area, while Carabiniere Marina Cau contacted her office to request the assistance of a patrol to inspect the fire and determine the nature of the fire. A few minutes later, a Fire Brigade unit and a crew from the Cagliari Company's Mobile Radio Section arrived on the scene, clearing the area and conducting the necessary investigations. Carabiniere Marina Cau, Superintendent of the Guardia di Finanza Davide Magnini, and Massimiliano Miliddi, with their immediate intervention, performed an act of exceptional self-sacrifice and civic valor. This act , demonstrating remarkable initiative, a profound sense of duty, and courage, even at the expense of their own personal safety, allowed the rescue of two homeless people exposed to imminent and grave danger. They also prevented the flames, which had already engulfed the blankets used as bedding, from reaching the two homeless people, who were unaware of what was happening.
The decision
The City Council writes that "considering that the timely intervention and operational skills of the rescuer, who must be recognized for his commendable courage and great civic sense, were decisive, allowing a likely tragic outcome to be averted," Miliddi is proposed for recognition: the award now passes to the Ministry of the Interior, which will present a gold, silver, or bronze medal and a "Certificate of Public Merit."
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)