Teacher heard loud bang before power went out and building caught fire—her timely gesture brought peace to screaming 1-yr-olds
Some workdays pass normally, in daily hustle, marked by small moments to cherish. Few, rare ones wreak havoc in an instant. For Alex Rose, a teacher at La Petite Academy in Yukon, Oklahoma, a Friday afternoon turned into something far more urgent and unforgettable, as per the Facebook post by La Petite Academy.
She had been recently transferred to the academy. The night before the incident, she was even asked if she wanted to head home early. She stayed. “I was in the room five minutes prior to the accident happening,” Alex commented on the academy’s FB post. “As I was going to the school age room I heard the loud bang and the power went out.” That sound came from a vehicle crashing into the La Petite Academy building on W. Reno, starting a fire instantly. In the infant room, children began screaming. Alex ran toward the noise and saw flames.
What followed was instinctive, fast and deeply human. “Two other teachers and I were grabbing two/three kids at a time,” she shared. “I held two kids to keep them from going back inside.”
Many of the children were just one year old, too young to understand danger, too young to know why the adults around them are in panic mode. Alex explained that holding them close wasn’t just about moving them outside. It was about keeping them from running back towards it.
“Most of our 1-year-olds don’t have a sense of danger yet, so we had to keep them held,” she wrote. Outside the building, first responders and community members quickly stepped in. Officers, firefighters, neighbors and strangers arrived with blankets, food and water. Amid the smoke and confusion, the focus remained clear: keep the children safe from fire.
“I am so thankful that I stayed last night and was able to get all of our kids out safely,” Alex said. La Petite Academy also later confirmed that all students and staff were safe and accounted for, while expressing gratitude for the overwhelming support shown by the Yukon and its people. The school thanked first responders from the OKC, Yukon and Mustang police and fire departments for their care and gentleness, as well as neighbors at CVS Pharmacy on Mustang Road who rushed over to help.
Parents and community members echoed that gratitude in the comments. “Your staff members deserve life-saving awards!!!” wrote Tori Case. “Amazing job to the team!!” added Jenny Cargill-Sneed. Michelle McIntyre shared words of applause, “Well done, teachers and staff, in getting everyone out safe.”
For Alex, the moment still stays, not as a heroic act, but as a reminder of why she stayed that day, why she ran toward the noise and why she held on tight when the children needed it most. What is remarkable isn’t just her speed with which she responded, but also the steadiness. In a moment of fear and uncertainty, her focus and priority was children’s safety. It’s a day the La Petite Academy community won’t forget, not because of the damage left behind, but because of the people who showed up to help.