The quick thinking of a 5-year-old helped to save the lives of more than a dozen people in Chicago as a fire tore through their home. Jayden Espinosa likes to get up early and was awake when a fire broke out at his home. The fire started at close to 4 AM when everyone else in the house was sleeping and the boy noticed the smoke. Jayden moved quickly, running to tell his aunt and the others inside that the house had caught on fire. The home was filled with family members because Jayden, his mom, and his two sisters were staying with their aunt at the time.
… But Jayden didn’t stop there. The home was a duplex with other neighbors living downstairs, so the 5-year-old boy ran down to alert them of the fire. In all, his quick thinking saved the lives of 13 people, and his own as well. The fire alarms in the home were not functioning, so all of those inside could have slept through the fire were it not for Jayden’s heroic actions.
The family is now receiving assistance from the Red Cross, and some friends have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for their recovery.