Hero 12-Year-Old Saves Baby Brothers, Grandmother From Burning Home In Virginia

A Virginia 12-year-old is being hailed as a hero for rescuing his two baby brothers and his grandmother as a fire tore through their home on Tuesday.

“Today, tragedy struck the home at 2001 Burks Street as flames tore through the structure, leaving devastation behind,” Petersburg Fire Rescue and Emergency Services said in a statement posted on Facebook. “But within this moment of fear and destruction, a powerful story of courage rose from the smoke.”

Ramir Parker, 12, was talking with his grandmother on Tuesday when he “heard a strange crackling and rattling sound, growing louder by the second,” police said. At first he assumed his baby brothers, ages 1 and 2, had woken from their naps in the living room, but when he went to check, he saw thick smoke rising from the basement.

Parker yelled “Fire!” to alert his grandmother, then ran to the “smoke-filled” living room to retrieve his siblings. The boy then led everyone out of the house to safety.

“As glass shattered and the heat intensified, this young boy kept his composure and got his family to safety, before our units arrived,” fire officials said.

Photos shared by the fire department show the house fully engulfed in flames as crews work to extinguish the blaze.

“Ramir, we see you. We salute you. You showed the heart of a fireman today and the soul of a warrior,” fire officials said. “#WeAsked permission to share his bravery with the community, and we would love to Honor his bravery in our upcoming Award Ceremony.”