Honk News– A young boy with Down syndrome showed remarkable bravery by warning his sister about a fire in their Colorado home, allowing them to escape just in time before the flames took over.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office reported that a fire erupted just before noon on Sunday, Dec. 1, while Grayson and Ava Grace were home alone in the 4800 block of S. Gibraltar Ln. in Centennial, Colo.
“Anywhere there was a hole in the house, there was smoke coming out of it,” said Deputy Ryan McConnell in a video posted alongside an update from the department on X.
Sheriff deputies rescue two children from backyard of burning home.
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… pic.twitter.com/rAkQ739ufl
— Arapahoe Sheriff (@ArapahoeSO) December 2, 2024
“As soon as I got near the house, I heard the kids screaming. My first thought was they were still inside. They were terrified, had no idea what was going on. Both of them were screaming and crying,” he said.
Renee Unruh, the children’s mother, shared with KCNC-TV that she and her husband, Steven, were just a short distance away at her mother’s house. During their absence, she noticed smoke rising into the sky, not realizing it was originating from her home, Unruh informed the outlet.
Before the children could head to the backyard, Grayson swiftly called for his downstairs sister, to come out.
“He was yelling, ‘Ava, Ava!’ And kept yelling, ‘Ava, Ava.’ He kind of saved her life. He’s our hero,” their mother said.
Footage from a body camera released by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office captured McConnell and Deputy Chris Calderon approaching the front door of a home, where dense black smoke was billowing out.
The department reported that they accessed the backyard by entering through a neighbor’s home after being unable to get in through a locked gate, even tearing down part of a wooden fence with their bare hands.
This is the body worn camera video of Deputy McConnell and Deputy Calderon rescuing two children from the backyard of a burning home in Centennial before firefighters arrived. The fire happened on December 1. The cause of the fire is under investigation by @SouthMetroPIO. pic.twitter.com/n6l7Px0PDI
— Arapahoe Sheriff (@ArapahoeSO) December 2, 2024
The footage from the body camera captures the scene as deputies start to dismantle the fence, with the sounds of children crying and screaming audible in the background.
“My room’s on fire,” Grayson could be heard saying multiple times as he and his sister are led to the sidewalk of their home and firefighters begin putting the blaze out.
According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, both deputies experienced smoke inhalation and received treatment on-site from paramedics. South Metro Fire Rescue reported that the two children received treatment at the scene and were released without any additional medical requirements.
“One SMFR firefighter was treated on-site and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” the department added in a statement on Facebook. “Sadly one dog and one cat did not survive the fire while 4 cats remain unaccounted for.”