MILAN, N.H. — An 8-year-old boy was named an honorary firefighter after he saved his infant sister from their family’s burning home.
ABC News reported that Harrison Holt’s dad, John, told him to call 911 when he realized the house was on fire. Harrison acted quickly, grabbed his 11-month-old sister and ran to a tree that his parents told him to go if an emergency occurred.
“I came outside after trying to put [the fire] out and Harry is standing under the oak tree with Marie under one arm and the phone in the other [talking] with 911 -- just completely calm,” John Holt said.
Holt said he had just finished mowing the lawn when the fire broke out.
“I saw and smelled smoke and ran into the connector [room] and I could see flames in the barn,” Holt added. “I grabbed the fire extinguisher to put it out. It didn’t do anything, so I yelled for Harry to call 911.”
The Milan Fire Department spent seven hours extinguishing the flames that completely destroyed the home. Milan Fire Chief Bud Chapman heard about Harrison’s actions and awarded him with an authentic firefighter’s badge.
“I basically explained that due to his actions that saved the life of his baby sister, I was appointing him an honorary firefighter of the town of Milan,” Chief Chapman said. “He didn’t know what to say. He was excited.”
Both Chief Chapman and Holt hope the story of Harrison’s quick thinking will inspire other families to give their children an emergency evacuation plan.