A 7-year-old Tennessee boy has been hailed a hero after he climbed through an open window in his burning house after it caught fire to save his baby sister. Eli Davidson’s parents were unable to save their 22-month-old daughter Erin when the fire broke out, but Eli managed to pull her out and save both of their lives in the process. Miraculously, neither of them were injured, WVLT-TV reports.
- The kids’ mom, Nicole Davidson, woke up to the smell of smoke. In the early hours of December 9, Nicole woke up in the New Tazewell home to the smell of smoke and it wasn’t long before the fire spiraled out of control. Nicole and her husband Chris, both of whom are former firefighters, grabbed Eli first as well as their 2-year-old son Elijah since the boys’ room was closest to their parents. However, they were unable to get to Erin.
- Eli didn’t think twice before jumping into action. Eli managed to crawl through Erin’s window to grab the baby out of her crib and pull her to safety. He didn’t hesitate to make the heroic move, and his bravery saved her life. “The smoke and fire was so thick there was no way I could get to her. We went outside to get to her from the window, but there was nothing for me to stand on to reach up there. So I picked up Eli, who went through the window and was able to grab her from her crib,” Chris recalled to CNN.
- Eli didn’t want his sister to lose her life. Speaking to WVLT TV, Eli said he was distraught seeing his parents unable to get to his sister and he couldn’t bear the thought of her losing her life in the fire. “Dad busted the window and then I said, ‘I can’t do it,’ like two times, and then I said, ‘I got her dad.’ And when we went down there I said, ‘I was scared but I didn’t want my sister to die.'”
- The house completely burnt down, forcing the family to rebuild. Losing your entire home at any time to a devastating fire is a terrible ordeal, but especially so close to Christmas. Sadly, there was nothing to salvage from the Davidsons’ house, and they’re now having to rebuild “from scratch.”
- A fundraiser was set up to help the family with the costs. “Nicole Davison Tri State Health & Rehabilitation A/P & Payroll Coordinator lost her home to a fire early Wednesday morning December 9th 2020. Thankfully, everyone inside the home made it out safely in time. The fire escalated quickly and the house was a total loss,” read the GoFundMe page, set up by Rebecca Wood. “I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for them. Any help or support we can provide would be greatly appreciated.” While they initially wanted to raise $5,000, they’ve already got more than $347,716.
