Christiana Fire Company was alerted about the house fire in the 200 block of Rice Drive in the Caravel Hunt development around 1:00 p.m.
BEAR (DE): Smoke detectors alerted a 7-Year-Old boy who is being hailed as a hero after rescuing his younger sibling during a house fire and trying to go back into the home to save a 91-Year-Old woman who was seriously injured.
The Christiana Fire Company was alerted about the fire in the 200 block of Rice Drive in the Caravel Hunt development Thursday around 1:00 p.m.
Officials say the boy, who was not identified, rescued his younger sibling from a second floor bedroom then called 9-1-1 and attempted to go back inside to save the seriously injured woman.
After bringing his younger sibling to safety and calling 9-1-1, he was met by former Christiana Deputy Fire Chief Larry Duhadaway who also lives in the neighborhood and responded to the scene to assist.
After learning from the young child that there may still be someone inside the home, Duhadaway, who had no safety gear, then went to the front door, got down low to see if he could see anyone below the smoke and within seconds he noticed the feet of the seriously injured 91-year-old woman. He then darted inside the home and pulled her to safety., according to fire officials.
According to a spokesperson at the Christiana Fire Company, as Duhadaway came out of the burning home with the woman, they were met by New Castle County Police, Christiana Fire Company EMS, and New Castle County Paramedics who began rendering advanced life support for the woman.
The seriously injured woman was then transported to Christiana Hospital who later transferred her to Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia for further treatment.
Officials later determined that the woman had collapsed during the fire and couldn’t make it to the front door.
Deputies from the State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene to conduct an investigation. Investigators determined that the fire originated in the rear of the residence in an enclosed porch and was caused by a malfunction in a pellet stove.
Several other occupants of the residence have been displaced and are staying with family.
It’s unknown how much damage the fire caused the single two story family home. Officials say smoke detectors were present and did activate and alert the occupants.
Several fire companies assisted with the fire including Elsmere and Five Points Fire Company.
