Colorado parents praised their 8-year-old son with Down syndrome for alerting his older sister about a fire in their home, allowing them to escape just in the nick of time. As reported by People Magazine, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office put the start of the fire just before 12 noon on Sunday, December 1.
At the time, Grayson and 14-year-old Ava Grace were without any parental supervision in their home, on block 4800, S. Gibraltar Ln. in Centennial, Colorado. Deputy Ryan McConnell took to X to issue a press release alongside a video of the home, with flames pluming through the air. He penned:
"Anywhere there was a hole in the house, there was smoke coming out of it."
Colorado fire forces firefighters to retreat as it devours the home, leaving animals dead in its wake
Read the official statement uploaded on X below:
"On December 1 just before noon, Deputy McConnell and Deputy Calderon responded to a house fire in the 4800 block of S. Gibraltar Ln. in Centennial. When they arrived, they saw heavy smoke inside and outside the home and discovered there were two children in the backyard, ages 8 and 14. The children told them there was no one else inside the home."
It goes on:
"The deputies, unable to enter the backyard through a blocked gate, were able to gain access through a neighbor’s home and tore down part of the wood fence with their hands. The children made their way towards them and the deputies were able to lift them through the fence and carry them to safety. Both deputies both suffered smoke inhalation and were treated at the scene by paramedics."
He concluded the post with a thank you to both children for their " bravery in the face of danger and also to our partners at @SouthMetroPIO." Per People Magazine, the sheriff said:
"As soon as I got near the house, I heard the kids screaming. My first thought was they were still inside. Obviously, they were terrified, had no idea what was going on. Both of them were screaming and crying."
The children's mother, Renee Unruh, told KCNC-TV that she and her husband were a few miles over at her mother's house at the time, and at one point, she saw smoke billowing into the air, unaware of where it was coming from. Per People Magazine, Grayson called on his older sister to run before the two ran to the backyard.
"He was yelling, 'Ava, Ava!' And kept yelling, 'Ava, Ava.' He kind of saved her life. He's our hero," Renee told the outlet.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office revealed that both deputies were treated on-site for smoke inhalation. South Metro Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Brian Willie said, per Fox 31:
"It really made it difficult for the firefighters to get into the home and get around the home as well."
The body camera footage, taken by Deputy McConnell and Deputy Calderon, shows them trying to break into the Colorado house through the backyard as they usher the children to safety. The children can be heard wailing, while Grayson screams that his "room's on fire." Ava makes it out first, while the second officer carries Grayson out of there.
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Fox 31 also reported that the Colorado house fire left almost nothing standing in its wake, forcing the firefighters to retreat at one point. A dog and a cat lost their lives, while four cats remain unaccounted for. As for the kids, paramedics tended to them on-site as well, and they were promptly released with no cause for concern. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the inferno.
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