‘Heroic’ toddler saves firefighter father & family from ‘6ft flames’ by waking parents who didn’t smell smoke with Covid
A HEROIC toddler saved his family from a fire by waking up his parents, who couldn't smell the smoke as they recovered from Covid-19.
The two-year-old's quick actions allowed his firefighter dad and mom to get themselves and all five of their kids out of the house before it was gutted by flames.
"Our fire burned so fast and so hot that we're just really lucky that we got out when we did," Kayla Dahl told The Sun in an exclusive interview.
"Had it been just a minute later. It would have been a completely different scenario."
The fire sparked at the family's Alvord, Texas, home on January 15 around 4.30am.
Kayla said she woke up to her 2-year-old Brandon at the foot of her bed, trying to wake her, which isn't unusual for the toddler.
But she knew something was wrong when she heard him coughing and saying, "Momma, hot! Momma, hot!"
"When I opened my eyes and looked at him, it was really hazy with smoke," she said."I looked at the bedroom door, and I could see the flames in the living room coming from that direction towards us."
Kayla and her husband Nathan were recovering from Covid and lost their sense of smell, which meant they couldn't smell the smoke.
She said their smoke alarms, which were less than a year old, weren't going off yet.
Little Brandon, who was also sick, was asleep moments before in the living room, where she could now see 6-foot flames.
"When it comes to him getting to us, the only thing that we can chalk it up to, is the fact that God had his arms wrapped around him," his mom said.
"He had a guardian angel that helped protect him and carry him into our room that morning."
ESCAPING FLAMES
Thanks to Brandon, his parents immediately got their five kids out of the house with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
Escaping the house quickly was something the family practiced, as Nathan has been a volunteer firefighter for the local fire department for the past six years.
Once they were out and safe at a neighbor's house, Kayla said she felt relief wash over her, knowing her family was unhurt.
"Until I turned around and saw everything that we had worked so hard to build as a family -- just gone."
The flames quickly engulfed the house and Kayla's SUV. Photos show nothing but a few columns remaining upright.
Nine fire departments rushed to their neighborhood and doused the fire while working to protect their neighbors' houses.
Kayla said it was a cold and windy morning, with gusts up to 70 miles per hour, which made the fire even more dangerous.
'AMAZING' LITTLE BOY
Kayla said if her toddler had woken them up minutes later, things could've been much worse.
"He is definitely our hero, and he will forever be our hero," she said.
While Brandon doesn't yet understand the impact of his actions that morning, Kayla said he's enjoying the extra attention he's gotten.
"He's an amazing little boy. I believe that he will do amazing things as he gets older," she said.
"We can only hope that he'll follow in his [dad's] footsteps one day and become a little firefighter himself."
She wants anyone who hears her family's story to know the importance of always having a safety plan -- and teaching it to children, too.
SUPPORT POURS IN
As the Dahls work to piece their life back together, support has poured in from around the United States on a GoFundMe Kayla's best friend made.
They've gotten enough money to furnish and rent a new place.
Their hope now is to build a new home on the property where the house burned to the ground, and have it ready in time for Christmas.
They give all the credit to God and their son for saving their lives but also had advice for other families.
"Make sure to hug your children and your spouse, and tell anyone and everyone that you love that you love them," Kayla said.
"I mean, tomorrow's never promised but it's a blessing to have it."
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