Darius Dillard and Nate Williams are cousins and roommates hailed as heroes after risking their lives to save a family trapped in a burning house.
Their cousins were hanging out on the porch one day recently when they noticed smoke coming out of their neighbor’s house. As they approached the search, they realized that the house was burning. Darius and Nate immediately called 911, but when told firefighters couldn’t arrive right away, they took action themselves.
Without hesitation, they broke down the front door and ran inside. Smoke had already filled the hallways of the house, Darius and Nate bent down so they could search the house without fainting.
“Once [the smoke] got into your lungs, it was tough,” Darius explained.
They found five residents of the house in a bedroom trying to retrieve their belongings. The cousins told the family there was no time to catch anything and they had to get out now if they wanted to escape with their lives.
But when they returned to the hall, they discovered that the front door was now blocked by a fire, and Darius and Nate had to think quickly to put out the fire.
“And we threw water where the flames were, but the smoke got into our lungs, so we had to get out as soon as possible,” Nate said.
Thanks to Darius and Nate, the whole family survived with their lives. Soon firefighters arrived on the scene and were able to save most of the house. As firefighters praised the cousins for their bravery, they urged the public not to rush into a burning building under normal circumstances.
“Of course, we’re not suggesting you try to put out the fire. The best thing to do is call us quickly,” Vice Chairman Jim Ryan said.
Although many called Darius and Nate heroes, they say they were in the right place at the right time.
“I was relieved, because that’s the first thing that came to mind, because the family got out of this safely. You got out of this safely, cousin, everything the world,” Darius said. “That’s all that really matters. To be honest.”
