10-year-old boy called hero by firefighters
Published: July 4, 2007
Firefighters in Tazewell County are praising a 10-year-old boy for his actions after the child noticed a neighbor’s mobile home was on fire.
The occupants in the mobile home were asleep at the time of the 7:30 p.m. fire Monday on Industry Road near the Tazewell-side of the Divides, but were awakened by the child’s father, and escaped without injury, Bill Allison, chief of the Tazewell County Fire and Rescue unit, said.
“It was a mobile home off of Industry Road, and there was a trash fire that got up into the west side of the mobile home,” Allison said. “The youngster saw it, and alerted his father, who in return came down and woke the people up. There were two occupants of the home. The folks then started fighting the fire after the occupants exited the building, and actually knocked the fire down off of the mobile home. If the youngster hadn’t seen the fire, and alerted the folks, we possibly would have had some injuries if not death. The deputy and his son did a good deed — a real good deed.”
The child, Josiah Horn, 10, noticed the neighbor’s mobile home was on fire while outside, his dad Frank Horn, a deputy with the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department, said.
“That was very quick thinking,” the father said. “We’ve always told him if you ever see something like that you need to let a responsible adult know. I’m very proud of him.”
While her husband helped with putting the fire out, 911 was contacted which in returned dispatched the Tazewell County Fire and Rescue to the scene, Regina Horn said.
“The fireman told the people if it wasn’t for my son, it would have been a bad situation,” the mother said.
The occupants of the mobile home escaped without injury and the structure was saved, Allison said.
“We scanned both the inside and outside, and underneath the mobile home, and we tore some underpinning away just to make sure it was all OK,” Allison said.
The child was allowed to blow the horn on one of the fire trucks, and wear a fire hat, for his good efforts.
“I was just so glad my little buddy was able to see it and have enough quick thinking to come and get me, and get us over there to get these folks woke up,” Frank Horn said. “After everything was settled down, the chief put his fire hat on Josiah, and took his picture. They were just wonderful.”
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