A man from Washington is being called a hero after he ran into a burning house to save his eight-year-old niece.
According to reports, 20-year-old Derrick Byrd suffered second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms after rushing into the house when he realized his niece was trapped inside.
Speaking to KOMO-TV, Byrd said: “Even though I got burnt, I didn’t really care. I’d rather get burnt than her. She’s young and still has so much ahead of her. She’s a good kid.”
The fire broke out in a home in Aberdeen, Washington, while Derrick Byrd and six other family members were inside, including his sister Kayla and her three children.
When the fire spread, Byrd helped his nephews, Junior and Royce, jump out of a second-story window to safety. However, his eight-year-old niece Mercedes was too scared to jump after watching her mother, Kayla, fall from the roof.
Without hesitating, Byrd ran back into the burning house to save Mercedes. He quickly felt the flames burning him.
“I could feel it burning me,” he said.
Byrd wrapped his shirt around Mercedes’ face to protect her from the smoke and carried her out of the house as fast as he could.
Despite suffering burns, Byrd said he’d do it all again if needed.
“I’d run back in there and do it again, even if I got burnt worse or died,” he said.
When people called him a hero, Byrd humbly responded, “I wouldn’t say I’m a hero. I just wasn’t going to let my niece and nephews die.”
BREAKING NEWS! Horrific accident.
In Manitoba, Canada, on Thursday, a horrifying disaster claimed the lives of at least fifteen people. A bus full of senior passengers and a truck collided at a crossroads close to Carberry, 170 kilometers west of Winnipeg.
The busload of guests was headed to a Carberry casino. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s commander in Manitoba, Deputy Police Officer Rob Hill, verified that “at least 15 individuals were pronounced dead as a result of the collision.”
The hospital is also providing medical care to ten additional people. Although both drivers are alive, the cause of the collision has not been identified by the authorities. Photographs taken at the scene revealed damaged walking frames and wheelchair seats close to the tarpaulins that were covering the remains.
In expressing his sympathies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his thoughts are with the injured and the families of those who have lost loved ones. Premier of Manitoba Heather Stefanson also offered her condolences.
One of the bloodiest incidents in Canadian history recently occurred. 2018 had a similar tragedy in Saskatchewan that claimed 16 lives. These tragedies highlight how crucial it is to drive carefully and responsibly in order to avoid accidents in the future.
Leave a Reply