Without a hint of hesitation, four teenagers in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, raced inside a burning house in order to make sure that its 90-year-old owner escaped the flames.
One night last month, Catherine Ritchie was getting ready to go to sleep when she saw that her bed's headboard was on fire. She attempted to extinguish the flames, but the fire just got worse, and the smoke made her disoriented. In the confusion, Ritchie got so turned around she couldn't find her way out, CBS News reports.
Outside, Nick Byrd, 14; Dylan Wick, 16; Seth Byrd, 16; and Wyatt Hall, 17, smelled smoke, and as soon as they saw it was coming from Ritchie's home, they took action. One of the teens smashed the glass in the front door to gain access to the house while another called 911. Nick Byrd found Ritchie in the hallway and quickly picked her up and ran out of the house.
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Everyone made it out safely, and firefighters soon had the blaze contained. Ritchie and her family — she has 10 children and 42 grandchildren — have praised the teens for their bravery, and Hall told KTUL that since that night, "my life has just changed ... for the better." Catherine Garcia
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