'It was my responsibility': Manitoba girl saves siblings from destructive house fire

A 12-year-old Manitoba girl is being hailed a hero after saving her two younger brothers from a house fire.

On March 2, Emily Neufeld was home after school with her two brothers – Jamie, 8, and Levi, 4 – when she smelled something strange as she was walking downstairs in the La Broquerie home.

Without warning from a smoke alarm, Emily saw the bathroom had gone up in flames. From there, without panicking, she ran upstairs and got her brothers.

“I just knew it was my responsibility to get my siblings and everything, my sibling and my pets out,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Tuesday.

Armed with the knowledge that she learned about fire safety in a babysitting course, Emily was able to save her brothers from the fire that severely damaged the family’s home.

“It feels really good and I’m very happy that I saved them,” she said.

The home sustained severe damage in the fire. (Source: Andreas Neufeld)

When Natalie Neufeld, the kids’ mother, learned of the fire it felt like a “nightmare,” but she thankfully learned quickly that her kids were safe.

She said she’s very thankful for her daughter and her quick thinking.

“I mean, they’re here because of her, same with our pets,” she said.

“I’m very, very grateful for her and what she learned at the babysitter’s course.”

Emily encourages other kids to take the babysitting course, as that is where she learned how to safely escape from a home that is on fire.

She said she knows she is a hero, and has been hearing it from many people in the community.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.