Brothers Tyler and Bailey McGinley, and their pal Darcey Carnelley, are being hailed as heroes in their neighbourhood after raising the alarm when a fire broke out in a flat.
The brothers, aged 10 and nine, and 17-year-old Darcey, rang the emergency services, buzzed the other residents in the block, in St Martin’s Road, Strelley, and directed fire engines into their cul-de-sac.
Thankfully no-one was inside the flat at the time, but grateful tenant Janette Lema and other residents are full of praise for the youths, saying their actions stopped the blaze from spreading.
Bailey, who attends Cantrell Primary School, in Bulwell, said: “I was playing out and saw smoke coming out of the air vents, and the windows were all burned. I got my friend Darcey to see if there was a fire and she rang the fire brigade. They came and there was a fire in there.
“I rang all the buzzers to tell everyone to get out. The windows on the flat were starting to crack and smoke was coming out of the windows. I rang the ambulance and police, and the fire service. If we hadn’t called for help, the other flat would have probably gone up as well.”
Tyler, who is about to start at Ellis Guilford School and Sports College next month, said: “We were panicking, but everyone, including the firefighters, said ‘you did the right thing’.”
Asked if they thought of themselves as heroes, Tyler said: “Yes.”
Janette, 45, said: “They told me what they had done when they saw the fire. They said ‘sorry about your flat’. I said ‘thank you for what you did’.”
Janette had been at her partner’s house in Bulwell when a neighbour rang her to tell her about the fire, which broke out just after 5pm on Friday.
She rushed home to see three fire engines outside her home and firefighters damping down the flames.
Police and the fire service have carried out a joint investigation into the cause, and they believe the seat of the blaze was the sofa, though the exact cause is currently unknown.
Janette, who has lived in the flat for six years, said: “I felt so bad when I saw the fire, especially I don’t know how it could have happened. I was there on Friday morning and did some washing and switched on the gas to warm the house. I don’t smoke. I just don’t know where the fire has come from.
“All of my belongings were inside.”
Darcey, who lives in Beeston but was visiting her boyfriend Karl Brown, 21, who lives in the flats opposite, rang the fire service.
The Stephenson College student said: “One of the lads told me they coukd see smoke. I walked round and saw it and then rang the fire brigade and they were here within five minutes.
“I’m proud of us all.”
Neighbours say if it had not been for the quick-thinking boys, the flames could have spread further, putting other residents in danger.
Sean Corrigan, 24, who lives in the block of flats, said: “Tyler and Bailey were shouting ‘there’s a fire’. I could see the windows were black. I was looking inside and no one was in there.
“If it wasn’t for them noticing the smoke coming out of the windows it could have been a lot worse. But it’s scary to think your flat can catch fire when you’re out, especially when all your stuff is irreplaceable.”
Wayne Leverton, 50, who lives in the flat above Janette’s, was out at the time the fire broke out, but got a phone call from neighbours.
He said: “My flat was full of smoke. We weren’t allowed in until the firefighters were done. We were outside for about half an hour. I was quite worried because I thought my flat was going to go up. If it wasn’t for the kids who knows what would have happened. They are heroes.”
The boys’ mum, Claire McGinley, 42, who has three other sons and a baby on the way, said: “I’m really proud that they have done the right thing. They came and got me straight away. They were brilliant – they were very helpful to the police and firemen as well.”
Original source: Nottingham Post