Four young lads from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, have received global acclaim for their bravery. The youngsters, aged 14 to 17, ran inside a 90-year-old woman’s blazing home and rescued her unhurt.
Catherine Ritchie, the mother, was getting ready for bed when she turned around and found her bed entirely engulfed in flames, according to her daughter, Missy Nicholas, in a blog post. “She tried to put out the fire herself by tossing blankets and cushions on it,” Nicholas wrote.
The billowing smoke overpowered her, and Ritchie rapidly became disoriented, according to the blog post. She attempted to run but became disoriented in the dense smoke and ended up unlocking her closet door rather than her bedroom door. As she rushed to flee the flames that were devouring her bedroom, she repeatedly pressed the emergency button she was wearing.
As the fire burned inside Ritchie’s house, four teen males across the street had just gone outdoors and smelled smoke.
“There isn’t a single adult in sight,” Nicholas writes. “four youngsters who acted quickly to save an old woman they couldn’t be sure was at home and whom three of them had never even met.”
The lads did not pause. “One of them began shattering the glass on the entrance door. Someone dialed 911. One of them walked to the rear door and started kicking it in. One went to the neighbors for an ax and assistance “The blog entry by Nicholas continues. Nick Byrd, fourteen, was the first to break into the residence. He approached Ritchie in the corridor and grabbed her up.
He took the elderly mother to safety, while the other three lads escaped the flaming house unscathed. Firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the fire.
“Kids informed about all the things they’re not old enough to do saved the life of the most beautiful and adored lady we know,” Nicholas writes. “Young men of valor. Young men who jeopardized their own lives, safety, and maybe their good standing with their parents, who might have chosen for them to do otherwise.”
The boys are 17-year-old Wyatt Hall, 16-year-old Dylan Wick, 16-year-old Seth Byrd, and 14-year-old Nick Byrd, according to her.
Ritchie’s daughter expressed her gratitude to the young men in a blog post, thanking them sincerely.
“Thank you for your selfless deeds of bravery and heroism. Thank you for not letting this be the terrible end to our mother’s extraordinary life. Thank you for remaining with her, comforting her, and making her feel less lonely until we arrived “She penned a letter. Nicholas signed the blog on behalf of all ten children and 42 grandkids of her mother.
The four young guys had no idea who Ritchie was or that she had so many children and grandchildren who adored her, but they did know she needed assistance. They put their lives on the line to save her, and it paid off.
“Ever since that night, my life has simply changed… for the better,” Wyatt Hall told KTUL-TV. The tale of the boys’ bravery has gone viral, and they have received tremendous acclaim, but what really important is that they saved a life.
