A boy from Drummer, New Hampshire is being hailed a hero and named honorary firefighter after he rescued his little sister from their family’s burning home.
Harrison Holt, 8, helped carry his 11-month-old sister, Marie, to safety after a fire devastated his family’s home last month.
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In an interview with ABC News, Harrison’s father, John Holt shared that the fire had broke out moments after he had finished cutting the lawn and placing the mower back inside the barn that is connected to their home.
Seeing his son though while their home burned down was a miracle in itself.
“I came outside after trying to put [the fire] out and Harry is standing under the oak tree with Marie under one arm and the phone in the other [talking] with 911 — just completely calm,” Holt said.
Holt and all his three children were home during the fire, while his wife, Heather was away with grandparents.
“I saw and smelled smoke and ran into the connector [room] and I could see flames in the barn,” Holt added. “I grabbed the fire extinguisher to put it out. It didn’t do anything, so I yelled for Harry to call 911.”
The local fire department arrived on the scene just minutes later, with first responders stating they saw the Holt children all gathered under the oak tree outside their home, a spot where his parents advised he go to in case of emergencies.
While it took seven hours to extinguish the blaze, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Milan Fire Chief, Bud Chapman tells ABC News it was “likely started by the lawn mower.”
Hearing about Harrison’s quick thinking on the day of the fire, the chief was impressed by the boy’s heroic actions and surprised him with an authentic firefighter’s badge.
“I basically explained that due to his actions that saved the life of his baby sister, I was appointing him an honorary firefighter of the town of Milan,” Chapman said. “He didn’t know what to say. He was excited.”
Holt shares that the whole family is proud of Harrison’s actions that day, including their youngest son, who “goes around telling everyone, ‘My brother’s a hero.’”
“Harry sort of shrugs it off. He’s a good kid,” Holt said.
The fire chief and Holt hope Harrison’s story inspires other families to have an emergency plan in place when it comes to a fire, advising families to “see a smoke detector, set it off and have a fire drill at your house.”
The chief adds, “Have a meeting place. In this case, it was the big tree in the front yard. Just practice it and make sure your children know about it. It’s amazing, but it works.”
Photo credit: Twitter / @ABC
