A Tennessee home caught fire recently with a family inside and the story might have had a different ending if not for the actions of a nine-year-old boy.
He found the location of the fire and told everyone to leave the house and the incident was caught on camera, WTVF reported Tuesday.
The whole family, including four children, made it to safety but there was not a lot left of the residence in McEwen.
Four siblings, whose ages are nine, seven, five, and three, were watching television not long ago, and Tristan, who is nine, was relaxing on the couch when the incident occurred.
“I heard this pop noise in the office room and I smelled smoke,” he recalled.
When he rose and opened the door, he realized the room was in flames.
Tristan ran to alert his mother, who was taking a nap, and also his father who was in their garage at the time.
“He came running down the hall screaming, ‘Mom, there’s a fire. Mom, there’s a fire,'” Tracey Cook commented, estimating the blaze engulfed their house in minutes.
Tristan’s siblings followed him and everyone got outside.
Cook eventually watched the footage from cameras she placed in the house to watch her children when she learned about Tristan’s actions.
“I was so proud and so blessed. He got us all out. He warned us all,” she stated.
The American Red Cross’ list of ways to prepare for a house fire included ensuring household members knew two ways to escape from each room and know the family’s meeting area outside.
Now, the family plans to rebuild and Cook was thankful the children were not hurt.
“But if anything had happened to them I wouldn’t be able to wake up. I mean we are family,” Cook noted.
The fire reportedly began as a result of an electrical short.
Although the family did lose nearly everything, they said the community is helping replace their belongings.