The Charlotte Observer (TNS)
An 11-year-old saved her six family members when their house caught fire, North Carolina officials say.
Kaliyah Harrington, one of five children, was in her room around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, when she realized there was a fire in her family’s house, Laurinburg Fire Chief Jordan McQueen told McClatchy News.
She escaped her room and grabbed two of her younger siblings, taking them outside to safety, before waking her parents, McQueen said.
After she was woken by her daughter, Precious McNeil grabbed her youngest child, an 8-month-old, woke her husband, and ran outside, she told WBTW. Once outside, McNeil realized one of her daughters was unaccounted for.
Once Kaliyah realized her sister was still inside, she ran back in the house, her mom told WBTW. “All I heard was her screaming ‘Chloe,’” McNeil said. The two girls made it out safely.
Kaliyah said she knew what to do during the fire thanks to a fire drill at her school on Oct. 28, according to McQueen.
Laurinburg is about 100 miles southwest of Raleigh.
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