The Dahl family from Texas witnessed their beautiful home become completely engulfed with flames. The family’s home was destroyed with very little being uncovered from the ashes.
Luckily, the Dahls were not inside thanks to their two-year-old son who saved his family, including his parents and five siblings, from the potentially deadly house fire.
Two-year-old Brandon is now being hailed a hero as the family reflects on just how lucky and grateful they are for Brandon’s early wake-up.
One word saves family
Kayla and Nathan Dahl were fast asleep when Brandon wandered into their bedroom around 4:30am. Both Kayla and Nathan had recently tested positive for COVID and had lost their sense of taste and smell. They had no idea what was happening in the other room.
Brandon was asleep in the living room as it was closer to his parent’s room. As Brandon was starting to get sick too, Kayla wanted him to sleep close so she could check on him throughout the night.
When Brandon wandered into Kayla and Nathan’s room coughing, at first Kayla assumed he was just sick or that he was hot from his PJs.
“He tapped me on my feet in bed and was coughing and saying, ‘Mama, hot. Mama, hot!’” shares Kayla.
As it turns out, the heat was coming from a gas heater in the living room – the same room Brandon was sleeping in. The family’s smoke detectors were not working properly so didn’t sound the alarm. Thankfully, the word “hot” was in Brandon’s vocabulary and he was able to alert his parents.
“I turned around,” Kayla tells reporters. “I looked and all I saw was flames in the doorway.”
Kayla and Nathan acted incredibly quickly to get the family out of the door. Nathan is a volunteer firefighter and the family had a very well-versed emergency plan in place. They were able to escape in under a minute, allowing them to make it out safe and alive.
“About maybe a minute after we got out of the house, our front door had flames coming out of it,” Nathan told WFAA-TV. “Everything was in flames.”
A little hero
Kayla and Nathan have lost their home and most of their material items but they are incredibly grateful that no one was injured in the fire, thanks to their little boy.
“If it wasn’t for my son’s guardian angel that morning, I don’t know where we would be.
I don’t think he quite understands the impact of what he did. But he’s relishing the abundance of attention. If we go to Walmart or the gas station and somebody recognises us from the news, they’ll pat him on the back and try to shake his hand [saying], ‘You’re a hero! I’m so happy to meet a hero!’”
Well done Brandon! What a little hero!
What to do in a house fire
Many people don’t realise just how quickly house fires can spread and how important it is to act fast. If you don’t already have an emergency evacuation plan in place, take some time to do this with your family and practice it with your kids.
Here are a few basic rules about house fire safety from Tasmania Fire Services,
- Get down, get low, get out – smoke is poisonous, get underneath it on your hands and knees, and crawl to the nearest safe exit.
- Shut the doors behind you to stop the spread of fire and smoke.
- Shout Fire! Fire! Fire! to warn others.
- Ensure everyone is out of the building.
- Get out and stay out – never go back inside.
- Go to your safe meeting place – such as your letterbox.
- Call triple zero ‘000’ from a mobile or a neighbour’s phone.
- Wait for the Fire Service to arrive.
