Birchett entered a burning house in the early morning hours of July 31 to save his 7-year-old niece, Jazmin Jones, and suffered burns to his head, face and hands.
According to reports, firefighters were called to the house fire about 2:27 a.m. and were on the scene until about 5:10 a.m.
Birchett's mother and owner of the burning home, Mary Jones, said she and her son and two granddaughters were in the house at the time the fire started.
``We have regular fire drills, and the meeting place was the front lawn,'' Mary Jones said. ``We all got out except Jazmin, and I went back in to look for her twice, but the smoke was so thick I had to come back out.''
Birchett said when he heard his mom screaming for Jazmin and realized Jazmin was still in the house, he went back in to find her.
``I had been taught that if you shut down one of your senses, it enhances the other four, so when I went into the house, I closed my eyes and I could hear Jazmin screaming for help,'' Birchett said. ``So I kept my eyes closed and followed the sound and found her in the kitchen and helped her out.''
In the process of searching for her, Birchett said he felt his way to the living room and burned his hand on the sofa fabric that had been burning, then when he was making his way to the kitchen, he was burned on the right side of his head and face.
He was treated at the scene for the burns and is now recovering quite well, Mary Jones said.
``We have medication from the doctor to put on the burns, but Darius is doing OK,'' she said.
Assistant Fire Chief Ivory Diamond presented Birchett with a Young Hero's Award at the main fire station in Blytheville, accompanied by two firefighters and Jazmin Jones.
``We, as firemen, don't advocate people going back into burning buildings because of the dangers,'' Diamond said. ``But in this instance, Darius may have saved the life of his niece, and for that he is a young hero.''
Diamond said that the risk Birchett took was something that firefighters teach kids is only for the professionals and could have resulted in the loss of two lives.
Birchett said he was not thinking about the danger. ``All I was thinking about was getting Jazmin out of that house.''
Birchett said he felt he did just what he was supposed to do.
Jazmin Jones hugged her Uncle Darius as if to say ``thanks'' after the award presentation.
