Grayson, an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, is being dubbed a hero by many after saving his 14-year-old sister’s life from a huge fire that broke in their Colorado home on Sunday.
When the fire broke out, Grayson and his sister, Ava Grace, were home alone. Their parents, only a few miles away, were panic-struck when they learned what had happened.
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How Grayson saved Ava’s life
The fire erupted around noon, engulfing the house with its burning blazes and smoke.
Grayson kept calling out for his sister, who was a floor below, to leave their home. “He was yelling Ava, Ava! And kept yelling Ava, Ava,” the children’s mother, Renee Unruh, told KCNC-TV. “He kind of saved her life. He’s our hero.”
Police responded
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office released some suspenseful bodycam footage as they responded to the growing fire in the Unruhs residence. You can hear the brother and sister screaming and crying for help behind a wooden fence in their backyard.
The deputies had to act fast
It was hard reaching the terrified siblings. So, the deputies jumped into a neighbor’s yard and made a hole through the fence with their bare hands to be able to carry the kids safely.
They were barefoot and wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the snow.
The kids’ reaction to what happened
“My room is on fire,” Grayson yelled as he was being carried away by the deputies from the burning home, according to the footage.
“Help me,” he continued. Meanwhile, his sister thanked the deputies while crying for their heroic rescue.
Deputy Ryan McConnell speaks out
“Anywhere there was a hole in the house, there was smoking coming out of it,” McConnell explained in a video. “As I got near the house, I heard the kids screaming. My first thought was they were still inside. Obviously, they were terrified and had no idea what was going on.”
McConnell expressed his feelings
“It was a good feeling getting them out of there, especially knowing they were so young,” McConnell expressed.
He also expressed his gratitude that no one else was in the house as smoke was coming everywhere, including the vents, preventing them from getting inside.
Where the parents were
Unruh said they were visiting her mother, who was also a fire victim from a year ago. Unruh received the dreadful call from her daughter and saw the smoke in the sky down the street. The parents raced back to her home in fear.
The parents felt relief
The parents were thankful and relieved to see their children alive. “I couldn’t let them go. I don’t ever want to be apart from them,” Unruh said, according to KCNC-TV. “He (Grayson) does brighten everyone’s day and he obviously can save lives,” she continued.
The family is getting aid
After the devastating fire, the four family members received aid from the Red Cross, and they got temporary lodging. In addition to this, community members are also lending their helping hand to the family amidst these pressing and excruciating circumstances.
The aftermath
The firefighters spent an hour trying to extinguish the blaze, which they eventually did successfully.
Two deputies couldn’t handle the smoke and were treated by paramedics due to excessive smoke inhalation, in addition to two other children who were treated by the paramedics as well.
