7-year-old girl rescues family from house fire

The girl credited school lessons with helping her save her family.

ByABC News
January 29, 2018, 5:16 PM

— -- Seven-year-old Tracy Durant became a local hero when she saved her family from a house fire Sunday morning.

The Escambia County, Florida, house fire broke out while a 13-year-old girl was cooking chicken inside the home, the family told local ABC affiliate WEAR.

“It looked like when the stove was on and it came up top and then it kept getting bigger and bigger so I didn't want us to get killed," Tracy said of the moment she saw the flames.

PHOTO: The house fire started when Durant's 13-year-old cousin was cooking.
The house fire started when Durant's 13-year-old cousin was cooking.

Tracy, whose mother wasn't at home at the time, quickly ran for help at a neighbor’s house and asked for a phone to call 911.

Thanks to Tracy's actions, everyone escaped the fire, including her 11-month-old cousin, WEAR reported.

Tracy's 13-year-old cousin sustained serious injuries but is expected to live.

PHOTO: The fire caused smoke damage all over the home, but an officials says the fire started in one room of the home.
The fire caused smoke damage all over the home, but an officials says the fire started in one room of the home.

The little girl credited fire safety lessons at school with helping her save her family.

"[My teacher] said one day I would be a hero ... and I wanted to start practicing now," Tracy told WEAR.