At just 20 years old himself, Derrick Byrd of Aberdeen, Washington is being hailed as a hero after running into a burning building to save his 8-year-old niece.
And, despite receiving some serious injuries for his efforts, he says he’d do it all again, too.
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Byrd said that when the fire broke out, his sister, Kayla, and her three kids were trapped in a second-floor room.
Speaking with KOMO News from his hospital bed, Byrd said his first move was to run through the flames to get out of the house so he could catch the kids as they jumped to safety.
His two nephews, 6-year-old Junior and 4-year-old Rory, made the jump safely and Byrd caught them as planned.
But Mercedes, Byrd’s 8-year-old niece, was too scared to jump.
Suddenly, Kayla fell from the window, leaving Mercedes tumbling back into the burning home.
“She was screaming my name,” Byrd said, “So I wasn’t just going to let her sit there. I wasn’t going to let my niece die.”
Without thinking, Byrd raced back into the flaming home.
“I don’t care if I was burning, I just wanted to get her out,” Byrd said.
When he reached Mercedes, Byrd took off his shirt and wrapped it around her face to prevent smoke inhalation. That left his own back exposed.
As he carried Mercedes to safety, flames licked at Byrd’s skin.
In the process, Byrd received 4th, 3rd, and 2nd degree burns, including some nerve damage, to his back, arms, and face.
Still, he says he’d do it again.
“Even though I got burnt,” he said. “I really didn’t care, though. I’d rather get burnt than her. She’s young. She’s still got a lot of stuff going for her. She’s a good kid.”
Kayla also made it out safely.
All seven people who were in the house when the fire broke out survived. Byrd, Mercedes, and Junior were airlifted to hospital.
As for being called a hero, Byrd isn’t sure he’s on board with that description.
“I can’t say a hero,” he said. “I’d just say for my niece and nephews, I wasn’t going to let them die.”
He was just being a good uncle.
“I spend most of my days off with my nieces and nephews,” he told CNN . “Mercedes is already an uncle’s girl.”
Fire investigators haven’t determined a cause yet.
They believe it broke out on the second floor, however. The Aberdeen Police Department estimated the damage at $268,000.
The family lost everything.
Neighbors have launched a food, clothing, and toy drive to help the family get back on their feet.
The good news, of course, is that everyone survived, and it’s thanks to Byrd.
“I’d do it again,” he said. “I really would. I don’t care. I really would. I’d run back in there and do it again even if I got burnt worse or died.”
