7-Year-Old Florida Girl Rescues Family From House Fire: ‘I Didn’t Want Us to Get Killed’
January 30, 2018A 7-year-old Florida girl is being hailed as a hero after her fast-thinking skills saved her family when their home caught on fire Sunday.
Tracy Durant said she remembered the fire safety tips she learned in school when her family’s Escambia County home caught on fire, according to ABC News. The fire broke out when Tracy’s 13-year-old cousin, Shemaiah, was cooking on the stove.
“It looked like when the stove was on and it came up top and then it kept getting bigger and bigger,” Tracy told WEAR of the flames. “I didn’t want us to get killed.”
Tracy’s parents weren’t home at the time, so she ran to a neighbor’s house for help, asking to use their phone to call the fire department. Every was able to escape the home, including Shemaiah and their 11-month-old cousin.
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“I feel happy to save my baby cousin because I didn’t want him to get killed,” Tracy told WEAR at the scene. “He is 11 months and he will turn one next month on the ninth.”
Shemaiah was taken to a local hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive, WEAR reports.
Tracy’s grandmother said some things in the home could be salvaged, but most of the family’s belongings were destroyed. However, she told WEAR that the family is proud of Tracy.
The little girl praised her teacher the her fire safety skills.
“She said one day I would be a hero,” Tracy recalled. “I wanted to start practicing now.”