A 7-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after saving his baby sister from a fire. Young Eli saved the life of his 22-month-old sister Erin Davidson who was trapped in her room after a fire engulfed their home in New Tazewell, Tennessee, on December 8.
The fire took hold at night-time after the family had put their three children to bed. Chris and Nicole Davidson awoke some hours later to the strong smell of smoke. They quickly grabbed their two children Elijah and Eli and managed to get out the house but couldn't reach Erin as her room was surrounded by flames.
Once out of the house, Chris tried to get into Erin's room via the window but he couldn't reach it. Instead, he pushed Eli up and into the room where he then grabbed his sister and managed to scramble back out the window with her to safety.
Chris Davidson told CNN:
"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."
He added:
"We couldn't be more proud of Eli. He did something a grown man wouldn't do."
By the time firefighters arrived at the scene, the entire home was almost completely engulfed in flame and young Erin would certainly not have gotten out if it wasn't for the heroic actions of her brother.
The young hero told reporters:
"I thought I couldn't do it, but then I said, 'I got her, dad. I was scared, but I didn't want my sister to die."
The impact of losing their home has had a devastating effect on the family. All of the children are fostered by the Davidsons, both of whom are ex-firefighters, and Erin and Eli have only been with them for around a year. Over the years, the kind-hearted couple have fostered no less than 34 children.
The family are now in a position where they will need to start their lives form scratch. Chris said:
"We lost everything that we have ever had. Our entire lives were in that home. Our three cars were also damaged in the fire. It's devastating. We have nothing. You have never been as humble as you are when you don't even have your own underwear to wear."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family financially. It has already raised over $350,000.
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