Catherine Ritchie was getting for bed when all of a sudden her bed caught on fire. The flames and smoke quickly engulfed her bedroom and she became disoriented.
In fact she became so confused the 90-year-old had trouble finding her way out of her bedroom.
Luckily a group of teens were nearby and rushed in to save her.
“We were actually fixing to leave … We were fixing to go to QT to get something to drink,” 16-year-old Seth Byrd told KTUL.
Seth and three other teens, age 14 to 17, went outside and smelled “burning rubber,” then they heard a house alarm go off.
At that point they knew they had to react.
One called 911, another attempted to break the front window, one teen ran around back, and another boy went to a neighbor for help.
As the four teens tried to rescue whoever was trapped inside, Ritchie was desperately trying to escape as the condition worsened.
“The smoke was so bad, I couldn’t see to get out of my room,” she said. “I felt along the wall, and I went into the closet instead of the door to get out of the room. I finally did get to the door.”
Eventually, 14-year-old Nick Byrd gained access to Ritchie’s home and he found her in a hallway.
“This young boy was right there,” she said. “He picked me up, and I said, ‘I can walk,’ and he said, ‘We’re getting out of here.'”
Great job! These four teens are heroes to their 90-year-old neighbor.
Posted by ABC 13 – WSET on Thursday, June 6, 2019
The two made it out, and firefighters were able to put out the fire before it spread.
Following the rescue, Ritchie was extremely grateful for the young men’s help.
“They were just special, as young as they were.”
Even her family have expressed their gratitude towards the teens.
One of Ritchie’s daughters, Missy Ritchie Nicholas, thanked the boys in an open letter.
These four teenagers were Catherine’s only hope. They rose to the occasion and rescued her!
Share this article and join me in thanking them for their bravery.
