After racing into a blazing house to save his eight-year-old niece, a Washington man is justifiably being praised a hero.
According to reports, Derrick Byrd, 20, received second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms after rushing into the building when he realized his niece was inside.
In an interview he stated, even though he got burned, he truly didn’t care. He’d prefer to burn himself than her. She is rather young. She still has a lot of things going for her. She’s a nice kid.
The fire is thought to have begun in a residence in Aberdeen, Washington, when Byrd and six other family members were inside, including his sister, Kayla, and her three kids.
When his nephews, Junior and Royce, leaped from a window on the second floor, Byrd grabbed them. Mercedes, his eight-year-old niece, was too scared to leap after witnessing Kayla fall from the roof.
Byrd went back inside the home to save her without hesitating. He could sense the flames on him within seconds.
He stated, he could feel it scorching him. He grabbed her, ripped his shirt off, wrapped it around her face so she wouldn’t take in any smoke, and simply carried her out as quickly as he could.
Furthermore, despite his injuries, Byrd stated that he would do it again if he had to.
Even if he got badly burned or killed, he’d rush back in there and do it again.
In response to those who called him a hero, he simply stated, he can’t be called a hero. He’d just state that he wasn’t going to let his nephews and nieces die.
Heroic uncle who rushed into burning home to save niece says he'd do it againLIFE SAVER: Heroic uncle who rushed into burning home to save niece says he would do it again: "Even if I got burnt worse or died." https://abcn.ws/2NWmcgX
Posted by ABC News on Monday, 8 July 2019
What an unsung hero Derrick Byrd is. People’s true colors are displayed on occasions like these, and Derrick should be proud of him.
