The young girl’s family has hailed her as a hero after she ran into her home to warn her mother and siblings of the danger when their roof was on fire.
Olivia Patterson, a 6-year-old girl, was playing with a neighbor in a yard nearby.
According to The Times, she was shocked when she saw the roof on her semi-detached house in Riccall, North Yorkshire. England had caught fire.
The girl ran in without hesitation and found Laura Patterson, 29, snoozing on the couch with her little brother Joel James, aged one, and Tiffany, aged two. She woke them all up and they all managed to escape unharmed.
Sadie Gelder (54), the child’s grandmother reported being “so proud of” the “amazing youngster” for her actions during the crisis.
Olivia Patterson, a BBC News reporter, said that while she was playing near her house at a neighboring home “she saw smoke and flames coming from both houses.”
BBC reported that the girl said, “I didn’t know what to do, so I went and told Mommy.”
She said: “We’re so proud of her.”
She added as the British news service SWNS reported, “We can’t believe Olivia got Laura out — she’s six years old and ran [into] a burning building.”
According to reports, the fire occurred on April 4.
Reports indicate that the fire started in the house next door, and quickly spread upstairs to the three-bedroom home of the family.
SWNS said that an investigation was currently underway. The family has been informed that the fire may have been started by a charger for a mobile phone.
The grandmother stated that no one entered the house to save anyone, because they believed the home was empty.
She said: “Olivia was in the street but ran into her mother’s room to wake her up. She shouted, “Wake up Mom, the house’s on fire — awaken the babies!”
The people on the street thought that no one was at [the house] because the car wasn’t in the driveway.
BBC reported that four fire engines responded to the fire at the semi-detached property.
The grandmother told reporters that the family has temporarily moved into an Airbnb, and they have lost almost all their belongings in the fire.
Former colleagues of Mom set up a fundraiser page to support the family.
A friend wrote on a fundraising page: “Everything they owned has been destroyed.”
The fire structural engineer came out to Laura’s house to assess it. They were dealt a major blow. The house will need to be torn down and rebuilt. It cannot be saved.
The grandmother told me, “People are donating bedding, towels, and beds.”
It’s all the “little things,” said the grandmother, “to help her build everything back up.”
