Last week, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber gave a nice shout out to the first responders and borough employees who helped during the battle to contain the devastating fire in the heart of Oxford’s business district on Sept. 13. Businesses were destroyed and approximately 90 people were displaced as a result of the fire, but things could have been dramatically worse if the police officers didn’t race into the burning buildings to alert sleeping residents of the blaze. Firefighters from Oxford and numerous other fire companies in the area battled the fire for hours, preventing the fire from doing even more serious damage to Oxford’s downtown.

Schwarber said, “Hey guys, Kyle Schwarber here from the Philadelphia Phillies. I want to give a huge shout out to Union Fire Company Station 21, the Union Fire Ambulance Division, Oxford Borough Police Department, and the Oxford Public Works Department for being such great neighborhood heroes and going out there and putting out the fires and also being such great helps in the community. 

“You are being great first responders, also just great individuals and great people, so I want to thank you very much for what you are doing. Keep up the great work and we’re all behind you.” 

When it comes to neighborhood heroes, Schwarber knows what he is talking about. 

In addition to being one of the most prodigious home run hitters in the game—Schwarber has belted 93 homers since joining the Phillies before the 2022 season—he comes from a family of first responders. The slugger founded Schwarber’s Neighborhood Heroes in 2017 as a way to give back to those who serve their communities. The organization has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofits serving police, fire, and military families in each city Schwarber has played in. Schwarber is the Phillies’ nominee for this year’s Roberto Clemente Award.

It’s great for our local first responders to receive this shout-out from someone who understands how important first responders are.