A five-year-old boy from Georgia has been recognised as a true hero after saving his sister from a house fire before running back for the family dog.
Noah Woods was asleep in his Bartow County family home on Sunday, February 9, when he awoke to smoke and flames engulfing the bedroom he shared with his two-year-old sister, Lilly.
Leaping out of bed, resourceful Noah grabbed his little sister and, with no other exits available, escaped from the house through an open window. Amazingly, his heroics didn’t end there.
After getting his sister safely out of the house, the brave youngster rushed back in to save the family dog. He then headed next door to his uncle’s house to tell him about the situation, and together they alerted the rest of the family members at the property.
Speaking with CNN, Bartow County Fire Department Chief Dwayne Jamison said:
We’ve seen children alert their families before. But for a 5-year-old to be alert enough to do this … that’s pretty extraordinary.
The fire was reportedly started by an overloaded electrical outlet in Noah’s bedroom. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters treated Noah and four of his family members for minor burns and smoke inhalation. All nine individuals were able to escape the burning home.
The Bartow County Fire Department will now recognise Noah as an honorary Bartow County firefighter, with BCFD Chief Dwayne Jamison presenting him with a lifesaving award on Friday, February 14.
This honour is usually only bestowed upon professional rescuers, and is a testament to Noah’s extraordinary courage and maturity. Noah’s story has even reached Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, with Chief Jamison due to read a letter at award ceremony handed to him by Governor Kemp.
Sadly, on account of a recent lapse in Noah’s family’s home insurance, the house is said to be a ‘total loss’, and the family are now fundraising to get themselves back on their feet.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by Noah’s grandfather David Woods:
We are planning to rebuild and will likely need to stay in a motel for some time and likely rent a small house while we work to earn funding and build.
It’s difficult for us to ask for help from our community however, we know this feat is too great for us to achieve alone.
A very well done to Noah Woods on remaining calm during a situation which would be extremely frightening for most adults.
You can make a financial contribution to Noah’s family through their GoFundMe page here.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.