NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WTKR) – A Virginia teenager is being hailed a hero after his quick thinking saved the lives of his neighbors.
Matthew Wilson, 17, yanked off his videogame headset after his mom heard a faint beeping. He went to the outside hallway to investigate.
“Instantly, I could smell smoke, I turned to my mom and said, ‘Get the dog and you know, get out of the building,’” he said.
Wilson then went from apartment to apartment, banging on the doors to alert neighbors.
“He answered the door. I woke him up. I said, ‘Hey, you gotta get out. There’s a fire in the building,’” Wilson said.
There was another neighbor Matthew knew was home but was not answering, so he tried kicking in the door and pulled a muscle in the process.
He could not get the door to open, but the Red Cross says once firefighters got there, they were able to get that person out through a window.
Leslie Crocker, American Red Cross “It’s not every day that you hear something like this, and that you hear this happen because of a young man like yourself,” Leslie Crocker with the American Red Cross said.
Bill Egerton with the American Red Cross said Matthew is a “blessing in all those lives.”
Matthew and his mother Lara West are staying at a hotel now because they say smoke and water destroyed their belongings.
“Nothing was salvageable, really,” West said.
West is busy trying to get back on track with material items but is also reflecting on the important things.
“I’m super proud. I’m so proud, but for real, I’m not surprised, because that’s Matthew,” she said.
Firefighters are investigating what caused the fire.
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