'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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW With the U.S. election approaching, could American voters in Canada make a difference?
With the U.S. election widely predicted to be a close race, some believe American voters in Canada and overseas will be crucial in helping elect the new president about a month from now.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.
Grandparents found hugging each other after fallen tree killed them in their South Carolina home
As Hurricane Helene roared outside, the wind howling and branches snapping, John Savage went to his grandparents' bedroom to make sure they were OK.
W5 Investigates What it's like to interview a narco
Drug smuggling is the main industry for Mexican cartels, but migrant smuggling is turning into a financial windfall. In this fourth instalment of CTV W5's 'Narco Jungle: The Death Train,' Avery Haines is in Juarez where she speaks with one of the human smugglers known as 'coyotes.'
B.C. man ordered to pay damages for defamatory Google review
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
DEVELOPING Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signalling a wider offensive
The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a UN-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
Ontario family devastated after losing thousands to online flight ticket scam
An Ontario family was planning a religious trip to Saudi Arabia that included 10 people, but when they were checking in for their flights, the family discovered some of their tickets were fake.
For Canadians seeking a non-mRNA COVID vaccine, lack of Novavax shot is 'unfair,' advocates say
The federal government's decision to not provide Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.
Albertan first Canadian veteran to compete in Mrs. Universe pageant
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.