Heroism knows no age limit. Isaiah Francis is just 10-years-old, and his friend Jeremiah Grimes is just 11, but they already have the courage of someone far older.
A mobile home in the back of the Lake Johns Hotel caught fire, reportedly from the stove inside. While the man who lived in the mobile was dousing it best he could with water, Isaiah asked him where the kids were. When their father replied that they were in their room, Isaiah went into the burning structure. Meanwhile, Jeremiah called 911 to report the fire. They both noticed the fire from the neighboring mobile home, where they had been playing video games.
Carrying one in each arm, Isaiah brought the two kids, one and two-years-old, outside to safety.
A few minutes later the fire department arrived, and were able to rescue two other children from the burning home. Isaiah didn’t know that they were still inside.
Isaiah said he was scared while he was in the house, and that his heart was beating hard in his chest. But he knew that once he was in he had to get the two smallest kids back outside.
The Orange County Fire Rescue is recognizing both Isaiah and Jeremiah as heroes.
“What these children did is an exceptional act of bravery, and their families should be very proud,” said Orange County Fire Chief Otto Drozd III, as reported by West Orange Times & Observer. “They called 911 so our firefighters could immediately respond to the emergency. Furthermore, two children were safely rescued from the residence as a direct result of their actions. Although we never advise entering a building on fire, we must recognize the courage it took for those kids to risk their own lives to save the lives of others.”
It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but Isaiah and Jeremiah are great role models for us all.
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