‘Super-scared’ 12-year-old girl got younger brothers, pets out of burning home, called 911 Grade 7 student in La Broquerie credits babysitting course for teaching her ‘lives matter more than things’ By: Chris Kitching Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Mar. 22, 2023

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A 12-year-old Manitoba girl is being hailed a hero for swiftly getting her younger brothers to safety and calling 911 when she discovered a fire spreading through their basement.

As she stood in front of the flames March 2, Emily Neufeld knew what to do — and that she had to act fast — thanks to the lessons she learned in a Canadian Red Cross babysitting course last fall.

“At that moment, I was panicking and worrying, and I was super-scared,” said the Grade 7 student from La Broquerie, about 55 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.

Her first thought was she had to find her brothers — Jamie, 8, and Levi, 4— and pet animals, and get out of the duplex unit.

She recalled one of the key lessons of the babysitting course, which had a section on fire safety.

“Lives matter more than things,” said Emily. “Things are replaceable, but lives aren’t.”

Parents Andy, 34, and Natalie Neufeld, 33, are proud of the way their daughter handled the emergency.

“She kept a pretty cool head in a situation most adults would struggle with,” her dad said.

That afternoon, Emily and Levi had picked up their younger sibling from a child-care centre on their way home from school.

They returned home shortly before one of their parents was due to arrive from work.

Emily noticed a smell as she went downstairs to the laundry room.

“Lives matter more than things… Things are replaceable, but lives aren’t.”–Emily Neufeld

“She saw that the entire bathroom downstairs was on fire,” said Natalie, who recalled a phone call from her daughter. “All I heard was screaming and crying. She yelled, ‘Fire! It’s getting bigger!’”

The mother described the moment as her “worst nightmare.”

After hanging up, Emily gathered her siblings, looked for their pets and called 911. By then, the fire was spreading toward the main floor.

She rescued the family’s French bulldog and one of their two cats. The other cat died in the blaze.

Natalie called a friend to help the children, who had rushed out into cold weather.

A neighbour in the other duplex unit got out safely.

The parents fear their daughter, who has suffered flashbacks, may be experiencing anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

A guidance counsellor at Emily’s school is helping to provide support.

Investigators traced the fire’s cause to a plug-in wax warmer and a towel placed next to it in the downstairs bathroom, said the Neufelds and La Broquerie Fire Department Chief Alain Nadeau.

Flames spread through the bathroom when the towel ignited.

The Neufelds are thankful the fire didn’t happen at night. They believe the flames would have blocked the children’s escape route between their basement bedrooms and the stairs to the main floor.

They encouraged parents to discuss fire safety, including an escape plan, with their children.

Andy said a restoration company determined the residence and its contents were a total loss due to fire, smoke and water damage.

The family was renting the home and had contents insurance, but the policy will not cover all the losses, Natalie said, urging others to check their policies to ensure they have sufficient coverage.

They are staying with relatives for now.

Andy and Natalie are thankful for the support they’ve received from family, friends and strangers, who’ve donated everything from clothes to groceries.

A friend set up an online fundraising campaign to help them get back on their feet. A Toronto man who learned about the fire and Emily’s heroics sent a letter and some money.

“When you’re in a tough situation like this, community can do wonders,” said Andy. “We are incredibly grateful for everything they have done.”

“It feels really nice,” said Emily. “I’m really grateful for everybody that’s helping us.”

Nadeau said Emily’s handling of the emergency was perfect.

“She did a great job. She took everybody outside, which was the right thing,” he said. “This fire was rolling up very quickly. Getting out is of utmost importance.”

Nadeau said it took about an hour to bring the blaze under control, with basement fires being very challenging and dangerous.

He reminded everyone to have a fire safety and evacuation plan, in addition to functioning smoke alarms throughout their home.

Parents should ensure their children are familiar with the plan and all possible escape routes, including windows, in case one or more routes becomes blocked during a fire, he said.

“Teach your kids where the exits are and how to get to those exits,” said Nadeau.

“She did a great job. She took everybody outside, which was the right thing… This fire was rolling up very quickly. Getting out is of utmost importance.”–Alain Nadeau, Neufelds and La Broquerie fire department chief

When choosing a meeting point outside the home, identify a backup location in case the first is not available.

For those who use plug-in wax warmers to add fragrance to room air, the devices shouldn’t be placed close to combustible objects, said Nadeau.

He also urged people not to leave the warmers on 24-7 and to ensure the devices are turned off when no one is home.

“I’d treat it more like a candle,” said Nadeau.

Over the years, he’s been to a lot of residential fires where the residents don’t have insurance.

“Please, people, buy contents insurance,” he said. “It’s a life-changer if something happens to you.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching