Tampa rescue team: Firefighters recognized for Venezuela earthquake response

Three Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters were honored Friday after risking their lives in Venezuela to search through rubble and rescue survivors following two major June earthquakes.

admin July 31, 2026 4 minutes read

TAMPA, Fla. – Three Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters were honored Friday after risking their lives in Venezuela to search through rubble and rescue survivors following two major June earthquakes.

Tampa rescue efforts in Venezuela

What we know:

When Tampa Fire Rescue firefighter Alex Canasi heard his friend and colleague, Lt. Cesar Nino, had family missing following the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela, he did not hesitate to help.

“Cesar’s my friend,” Canasi said. “He’s not just my coworker, he is my brother. I’ve known him a long time. He’s an amazing human being, and any family of his is family of mine.”

Canasi called Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa nonprofit, to get help arranging travel to and coordinating assistance in the disaster zone.

“Our motto is to save lives at the speed of need. But our ethos is, don’t be a spectator,” Grey Bull Rescue founder Bryan Stern said. “And that’s exactly what these awesome firemen did.”

Thanks to Grey Bull Rescue, Canasi and Capt. Ben Kozich flew down to deliver supplies and help search for Nino’s loved ones.

“Cesar’s family’s building was twelve stories tall. That’s roughly 140 to 150 feet high,” Canasi said. “When he arrived, that building was about 40 to 50 feet tall. And the bottom of the building was about 30 to 40 feet underground because of the strength and the weight under the collapse.”

“It was a humbling, moving experience,” Kozich said of what he saw in Venezuela. “I was glad I was able to partake in it.”

Earthquake destruction and recovery

What they’re saying:

A third Tampa Fire Rescue firefighter, Capt. Joe Berres, deployed separately with the Florida Task Force, alongside his search-and-rescue K-9, Patron.

He described the scene as “complete devastation.”

“We had a lot of building collapse. If a building wasn’t collapsed, it was leaning. Half the buildings, the sides were falling out,” Berres said. “People were everywhere. They were living on the street, on a piece of grass, anywhere they could. And our mission was to get there and try to find as many live people as possible immediately.”

Berres and Patron helped rescue a man who miraculously survived being trapped inside a collapsed parking garage.

“It took us like three days to dig him out,” Berres said. “That was our main rescue that we worked on while we were there. And a lot of the other searches were just areas that were too unstable. A lot of them we couldn’t even put the dogs on because it was just so unstable.”

Honoring local firefighter heroes

Local perspective:

On Friday, Tampa city councilman Luis Viera, Tampa Fire Rescue chief Barbara Tripp, and other city leaders joined local Venezuelan organizations to honor the three firefighters.

“Thank you for standing with my people,” Norma Reno of Comandito Tampa said. “Thank you for reminding us that humanity has no borders, no politics, and no language.”

Nino tragically lost four family members but relied on his faith and his Tampa Fire Rescue family to carry him through.

“I was in the collapse zone for several days, and I never felt alone. I never felt any fear. I knew I was going to find my family, and I was going to bring them to a conclusion in the process,” Nino said.

Toll of Venezuelan quakes

By the numbers:

According to Associated Press reporting, government figures say the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes on June 24 killed over 5,000 people, injured nearly 17,000, and left almost 18,000 homeless.

The three firefighters noted that the Venezuelan people were very grateful for their help on the ground.