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11-year-old Manitoba boy saves family after alerting them to house fire

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WINNIPEG -

An 11-year-old boy on the autism spectrum is being credited with saving his family from a house fire.

Grayson Hunt, 11, likes to get an early start to the day. On Wednesday, however, his morning routine was drastically different.

When Grayson went to use the washroom, he found his Autumnwood Drive apartment filled with smoke.

"I was going to use the bathroom, but I smelled something strange. So I opened the door, and there was a bunch of smoke so I had to close my door and I was scared, and I was like, 'Mom, there's a fire,'" said Grayson.

Grayson's father, Bryan Hunt, said visibility was only about a foot with the amount of smoke in the house.

The family was able to evacuate the household of four, with the only injury being a burn on Grayson's hand.

With the fire being so intense, the family didn't have time to grab shoes, let alone any possessions.

"I had all that memorabilia, war medals, pictures, awards, certificates, everything," said Bryan.

Bryan said there wasn't an audible alarm in the suite despite the smoke detectors being serviced the day before.

"The fire people came in the day before to replace the smoke detectors and he was in and out in a hurry from what I heard," he said.

According to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS), firefighters arrived at 6:22 a.m. when the building's silent alarm was triggered.

The WFPS said the investigation is ongoing, and no damage estimates are available.

Bryan said the family can't return to Manitoba Housing until the cause of the fire is found.

Without a place to live, the family has been staying in a hotel with the support of the Red Cross and Jordan's Principle.

Though a stressful and uncertain situation, the family is counting their blessings.

"I just wanted to also say how proud we are of our son for alerting us and knowing how important it was to wake us up and get us out of the house. He really is the little hero in this story," Bryan said.

"That makes me feel so much joy, proud," added Grayson.

Item donations are being accepted for the Hunt family at the Canad Inns at 720 William Ave..

The family said it is currently searching for help creating a fundraising page.

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