A brave 12-year-old girl rescued a 72-year-old woman with limited mobility from a fully engulfed house fire that broke out on Chief Creek Road in Lawrence County, Tennessee.
Every now and then, we hear a story that stops us in our tracks and points us straight to God’s hand at work. This is one of those stories.
A young girl in a small Tennessee community did something that most adults would struggle to do. She ran into a burning home to save a life, putting someone else’s safety above her own.
Lawrence County Fire and Rescue crews responded shortly before 4:30 a.m. to find the wooden home consumed by flames. A mobile home sat less than 20 feet away, putting other structures at risk.
Before first responders even arrived, the young girl had already pulled the elderly woman out of the burning house. While she did that, a sibling called 911. The caller told dispatchers, “She has severe burns on her neck. She’s 72 and she’s crippled.”
Tyler McDow, director of Lawrence County Fire and Rescue, did not hold back his praise for the child. “That child made a decision to help somebody out of the house that some adults would have trouble overcoming the fear,” McDow said.
The girl sustained burns during the rescue, which tells you just how bad things were inside that home.
McDow shared how risky it was for the child as she attempted the rescue without any protective equipment. She was breathing in superheated toxic gases that could kill a person in a matter of seconds.
Both the woman and the child were treated at the scene. They were then transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center by Lawrence County EMS. The elderly woman sustained significant burns but is now in stable condition.
The girl ended up with minor burns to her extremities.
The fire was eventually put out. Officials believe a faulty pipe connected to a wood stove used for heating caused the blaze. They also noted that the home had no working smoke detectors.
This young girl’s courage is a reminder to all of us. God does not wait for the strong or the prepared. He works through willing hearts, no matter how young or small.
Let us keep this family in our prayers as the elderly woman heals and the family rebuilds from this loss.
WATCH: Young Hero Pulls 72-Year-Old Woman from Fully Engulfed House Fire
