‘Small but Mighty’: 5-year-old boy saves family from house fire
By Brooklyn Joyner
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VICKSBURG, Mississippi (WAPT) — A Vicksburg family is calling their 5-year-old boy a hero after he alerted them to a dangerous house fire that destroyed their home just two days after Thanksgiving.
Ranajai Hill may be shy — often hiding behind his hair and speaking softly to strangers — but when it mattered most, he acted with extraordinary bravery.
Ranajai was sitting on the couch watching TV early Saturday morning while most of his family slept. That’s when he noticed heat coming from nearby flames.
“He said he just saw the fire come up, and he went and got his grandmother,” said Jennifer Smith, his Gigi.
In the home at the time were Ranajai’s grandmother, his little sister, two uncles, and Ranajai himself. Thanks to his quick warning, all five escaped safely, wearing only the clothes they had on.
The Vicksburg Fire Department says the fire started from a gas space heater and declared the home a total loss.
“To me, it was very devastating losing everything that you have, that you’ve worked hard for,” Smith said.
But through the devastation, Smith says she’s overwhelmingly grateful — especially when she considers how differently the morning could have ended.
“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “Without him being the brave hero he was, it could have been worse. I don’t even want to explain.”
Although Ranajai is a boy of few words, his Gigi says his compassion for others is what makes him shine — and what helped save his family.
Ranajai’s family has created a GoFundMe to help replace essentials and clothing lost in the fire as they work to rebuild.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.
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