Little Girl Proclaimed Hero After Saving Entire Family from Burning Alive
An 11-year-old from a coastal town in Florida is being called a hero after saving her family from a deadly fire.
On March 1, 2019, around 2 a.m. Mya Vernon heard a strange popping noise outside of her Port St. Lucie home. Curious, she looked outside and saw the car parked in the driveway engulfed in flames.
Once the fifth-grader saw the flames move toward the house, she knew that she needed to wake up her family so everyone could move to safety.
As the fire spread grew, Mya and her family watched as the fire began to overwhelm their home.
Even though first responders were able to extinguish the fire pretty quickly, most of the family’s belongings were ruined by smoke.
“Very devastating. I was very devastated,” Mya’s mom, Annette Pierre told WPBF. “I was crying, praying at the same time. We’re out in our pajamas. We lost everything.”
Thanks to Mya’s curiosity and quick actions, she and her family were able to move to safety. She truly saved their lives and her parents couldn’t be any more proud.
“I know it wasn’t only her character, I know it was by the grace of God that He had her to be our angel that night,” Pierre told Treasure Coast Newspapers. “If it wasn’t for Mya, it would have been a completely different outcome.”
The St. Lucie County Fire District also recognizes how monumental Mya’s alertness was to the survival of her entire family.
Fire investigator Ed Hill said in a media release, “I feel she showed great maturity and calmness with her actions and those actions saved her family.”
On March 20, the fire district held a special ceremony to officially recognize Mya as a Citizen Hero.
“Fire Chief Nate Spera recognized 11-year old Mya Vernon as a Citizen Hero,” the fire district wrote on their Facebook page Wednesday afternoon. “Her quick thinking and immediate action saved her family from their burning home on March 1st. Good Job Mya!!!!”
Mya told Treasure Coast Newspapers that she was excited for the award, “Something like this hasn’t ever happened to me before.”
People in the community have been rallying around the family as they deal with the aftermath of such a devastating event. A GoFundMe has also been created to help the family rebuild, starting with essentials such as clothes, toiletries and school supplies for the three young girls.
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