A young boy raced inside his burning house to save his siblings and family pets. Click below to read the full story.
A 12-year-old Florida boy braved a brutal blaze to save his four younger siblings after their house was engulfed in flames Sunday, his aunt said.
“He told me, ‘I don’t want to be famous, I just wanted to save my family,’†Cri Jackson told the Daily News. “He doesn’t even realize what he’s done…He’s a hero.â€
Justin Allen ran into the house several times to bring out his three younger brothers and his 3-year-old sister as the fire consumed their home in Milton around 2 a.m., Cri said in a phone interview.
“He made a total of three trips,†she said. “Not one, not two, but three trips into that burning house.â€
During the second trip, he stopped to use the phone and call his mother, Cri said. In another, he opened the back door to let out their four dogs. Unfortunately, two of the dogs died and another is missing.
“They may have run back into the house, we’re not sure,†she said.
The children’s mother was at work at a nearby nursing home during the incident, Cri said. Their father, a construction worker, was out of state at the time.
It is unclear what started the fire.
A storm had knocked the power out in the neighborhood Saturday night, according to the Pensacola News Journal, which first reported the story. As a result, Justin had lit several candles in the house.
However, Cri said neighbors reported hearing a loud boom shortly before the blaze broke out, suggesting lightning could be to blame.
Fire officials told the Daily News it could be several days before the cause for the blaze could be determined.
The Jackson family, who moved to Florida from Texas nearly six years ago, lost virtually everything in the fire, Cri said. Everything except a trunk full of family photos.
“It had a Bible on top of it,†she said.
Neighbors helped provide clothes, food and some money to the Jackson family, Cri said.
“It’s really warmed my heart,†she said. “I’m really blown away, how much people helped out.â€
