Uncle survived third-degree burns after running into burning building to save little niece—what he said in hospital stunned all
Love often requires us to go above and beyond. It is this same love that pushes us to risk our lives for those whom we care about. A young man named Derrick Byrd rushed into a burning building to rescue his 8-year-old niece, Mercedes, ABC News reported. It is surely love that made him take on the courageous act after a house fire had trapped his sister, Kayla, and her three children inside. The man survived third-degree burns and was undergoing treatment at the hospital. Despite the pain, the dilemma, the struggle and the brunt of the situation, he had something so generously heart-melting to say that it’s tear-jerkingly unbelievable.
The 20-year-old man jumped into action when he saw that their Washington home had caught fire. “Kayla wanted to get the kids out so I ran downstairs even though I got burned. Started catching the kids. I caught Junior and I caught Baby Rory out of Kayla’s window,” the man explained, per KOMO. Mercedes was supposed to jump along with her mom so that they could escape. However, while Kayla jumped down, the little girl got afraid and refused to make a move. She was trapped all alone in the flaming house and began yelling for help. Derrick was certain that he wanted to save his niece but when he heard her yelling his name, he immediately ran to rescue her.
“I wasn’t just going to let her sit there. I wasn’t going to let my niece die,” he remarked. He ran into the burning home without a second thought and headed straight for the stairs. “I just ran up the stairs and pushed through the fire. I could feel it burning me,” he recalled. Despite the brutal burning feeling he was experiencing, he took off his shirt, exposing himself to more danger so that he could cover Mercedes to keep her from getting harmed or inhaling the smoke. He then carried her and escaped as quickly as possible. Derrick suffered second and third-degree burns and was seriously injured.
In his interview shared by WSPA 7 News, he was seen with his face and body bandaged, with a few burns and scars still freshly visible. It was an unbearable sight, some might say, maybe even irrational to have gone back into a burning building. However, Derrick was clear about his actions. Seated in a hospital bed in pain, he said that his decision was a purposeful one that he is proud of. “I’d do it again, I really would. I don’t care. I’d run back in there and do it again even if I got burnt worse or died,” he remarked. He left hundreds stunned with his words.
"Even though I got burnt, I really didn’t care. I’d rather get burned than her. She’s young. She’s still got a lot of stuff going for her. She’s a good kid,” he noted. He added that watching his nephews or niece die was not on the cards at all and he would give it his all again and again. His actions were remarkable, but his mindset and love have left us speechless — a true gentleman and a hero of an uncle, whose gesture the kids will remember for life.