9-year-old makes heroic 911 call to save woman from burning house
By Lacey Beasley
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WILMER, Alabama (WALA) — FOX10 News has the heroic 911 call a 9-year-old made to save a woman from a burning house in Wilmer.
We introduced you to the Balentine brothers earlier this week. On Fat Tuesday, their neighbor’s house went up in flames, and they were the ones who saved the day.
911 call: “911, what’s your emergency? Uh, I need the fire people. There are some people down the street. I see some smoke, and people are screaming help.”
On the phone was 9-year-old Wesley Balentine, which was his first time calling 911. Frantically, he jumped into action when he saw his neighbor’s house on fire.
“I seen a bunch of smoke,” said Balentine. “At first it looked like it was from a bonfire going on, but then I realized it was coming from the house, so I rushed to get my phone to call 911.”
911 call: “Where at? What’s your address? Jim Tom circle. Yeah, you’ll see the smoke. Ok, well stay on the line, I’m going to let you talk to the fire department, okay? Ok.”
Haley Deville’s family home surely was up in flames.
She said she pushed her 3-year-old twins out a window, but she couldn’t make it out. That’s when Wesley’s older brother jarred came barreling through her yard.
“I took off, jumped a fence, got back there, found her stuck in the room,” said Jared. “I busted what was left of a window out and got her out of there, and just started medical treatment, doing everything I could until EMS got there.”
Haley said she can’t thank the brothers enough.
“I owe him everything,” she said. “If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
The bond is now tighter than before.
“Since then, I see them more as family than anything, and if they are safe, I know that my family is taken care of,” said Jared. “That’s all that matters to me.”
Wesley is now lying low.
“Until this whole thing blows over, I think I’m going to have to keep a low profile,” he said.
Wesley, Jared, and their other brother Clark were recognized at Semmes City Hall this week and given the ‘Citizen Hero Award’.
To donate to their GoFundMe, click: gofundme.com/f/umqrcq-recover-from-house-fire?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_term=undefined
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