CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) – Firefighters in Virginia honored a 9-year-old girl who helped save her family from a house fire caused by a space heater, WWBT reports.
Chesterfield County firefighters called to a home just after 6 a.m. last Sunday found flames coming from a second-story bedroom. Mackenzie, 9, is credited with saving her entire family from the fire. She woke up after feeling heat under her loft bed, said firefighters in a Facebook post.
“She was able to wake her brother, sister, mom, and dad, who were all asleep, allowing them to get out of their Chesterfield home before fire engulfed the room,” the post read.
Two people were taken to the hospital for minor smoke inhalation and are now OK.
Mackenzie and her family stopped by Fire Station 7 to have dinner with firefighters Friday and thank them for their help. Firefighters then surprised the 9-year-old by recognizing her for her bravery.
Mackenzie was made an honorary firefighter and given a tour of the station. Firefighters also gave the 9-year-old and her siblings’ replacements for their favorite toys that were lost in the fire.
Fire officials say the cause of the fire was a space heater placed too close to combustible material.
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