GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. (WZTV) — It’s a night Kentucky will never forget. Eight tornadoes ripped across the Commonwealth on the evening of December 10, 2021, into the early morning hours of December 11, 2021, ravaging the western part of the state.

80 lives were lost, including several working overnight at the Mayfield Candle Factory.

Graves County inmate Marco Sanchez was on work detail when the vicious storms leveled the factory. What many may have seen as an opportunity to escape, Sanchez looked at as a chance to help save lives.

Dozens of people were trapped inside the collapsed factory, buried in the damage. Despite having a broken leg and cracked ribs, Sanchez, within close proximity to multiple people killed in the storms, managed to crawl out to safety.

That’s when he made the brave choice to re-enter the rubble and rescue people. The Graves County Sheriff’s Office says Sanchez searched for tools to pull people from the destruction, rendered aid to those injured and freed several people from the staggering aftermath of the tornado outbreak.

From there, Sanchez along with multiple others hitched a ride with a volunteer firefighter to the emergency room. After receiving hours of treatment, Sanchez was released but knew what he needed to do.   THE REST OF THE STORY HERE