Heroism comes at any age, as 5-year-old Noah Woods just demonstrated. The little boy was named an honorary firefighter after he bravely saved his family from a house fire.
On Tuesday, the Bartow County Fire Department posted to Facebook how the young boy’s heroic actions got his little sister and dog out of their burning home before the flames destroyed their house.
Noah shared a room with his 2-year-old sister, and the two were asleep. As fire officials recounted, Noah woke up to smoke and flames.
The 5-year-old acted quickly, grabbing his sister and taking them out through an open window – the only available exit at the time.
As CNN reported, once Noah had safely secured his sister outside, he went back into the flames to save his dog.
After Noah had saved his dog, he went next door to rouse his uncle. As the news outlet continued, the uncle and nephew pair worked together to get the rest of Noah’s family safely out of the home.
Bartow County Fire Department reported that four family members plus Noah had to be treated for minor burns and some smoke inhalation. But all in all, he was hailed a hero for raising the alarm and saving the seven other members of his family.
Officials said that Noah was recognized for his bravery on Friday where he was honored with a lifesaving award and then made an honorary Bartow County firefighter.
Bartow County Fire Department Chief Dwayne Jamison said to CNN, “We’ve seen children alert their families before. But for a 5-year-old to be alert enough to do this … that’s pretty extraordinary.”
And it’s extraordinary indeed!
Noah’s grandfather, David Woods, started a GoFundMe page where he revealed that the fire was sparked by electrical equipment stored in the kids’ bedroom.
The family is hoping that they can raise enough funds to help cover their lost property.
As their GoFundMe page reads, “We praise God that we all are safe. Unfortunately, our home was a total loss. Due to a recent lapse in our home insurance, this has made a difficult situation a little worse. We are planning to rebuild and will likely need to stay in a motel for some time and likely rent a small house while we work to earn funding and build.”
The family has a $75,000 goal, and so far they have raised $6,965.
Well done, Noah! He is an incredible little boy.
