This Happened on Thursday...

A BRAVE young boy rescued his family from a raging house fire in Gagebrook yesterday.

Quick thinking by Tyson Dunning, 11, saved his mother and five siblings in a lucky escape from the $300,000 blaze.

The drama started when Tyson's sister, Nelika, 5, accidentally set her bed on fire when playing with a lighter.

Within minutes, the family home was an inferno, fanned by strong winds.

When the fire broke out, six children -- including Dustin, 8, Dakota, 6, Olivia, 2, and Belinda, 10 months -- were inside. Elder sister Skye, 12, was not home.

Looking at the blackened shell of his home, Tyson said he had shouted that there was a fire and told the other children to get out of the house so he could help his mum fight the fire.

"Mum said, 'Call 000', so I did," he said.

Flames were roaring out of the rear of the two-storey, three-bedroom home in Lamprill Circle when fire crews arrived just before 4pm.

"It was an extremely lucky escape and focusing on evacuating the home was the most important and smart thing to do," Bridgewater station officer Paul Terry said.

Speaking from outside her Housing Department home, mother of seven Alison White, 29, said she tried to fight the fire with a bucket of water.

She said she was thankful no one was hurt and for Tyson's help.

"He really looked after his younger sisters and brothers," she said.

"And I hope they have all learnt about playing with lighters."



THANK GOD THEY ARE ALL SAFE!!!! Even the dog escaped...and no, my sister DID NOT give her daughter the lighter!!
I got a breathless cell phone call from my younger sister while the house was still burning and they were all standing out on the street. At first I thought she was JOKING!! Then I heard all the chaos and voices around her, including the fire men and one of my brothers
She lost EVERYTHING, she didnt even have time to grab her bag or put shoes on her feet. The thing she is most devestated over is loosing all her photographs etc of our mother who died of cancer in 1998. Thanks Goodness I have copies of my mother and some of her chldren as babies.
She has insurance, so she will be able to get the material things back...and lots of people have donated things to her, including all of us (her family) and she already has a house to go to!
Lance Dunning, of Goodwood, praised his grandson, saying: "Tyson was a hero."

sorry to hear about the house at least everyone made it out safely

Wow Chilli, that's terrible... Luckily nobody was hurt.

I wish ur sister's family a quick, steady recovery from this



Those kinds of things make you really see the important things in life



[Edited 10/11/08 21:12pm]

I'm truly saddened to hear this. Awful. BUT, they're all safe. Thank God!

I am sorry.

This is so sad

Thank god they are safe

Thank U everyone

Glad to read they are all safe.

Too sad about the pics.

OMG, that's tragic, but at least they are okay .

Good Job Tyson Glad Everyone Is Okay

SO glad everyone's okay!

Wow...sorry to hear. Glad everyone is alright tho!

OHHH no! Im sorry to hear this. Im glad everyone is ok.

...i too am sorry to hear this,but glad everyone was safe..
a few years ago my sisters house caught fire-no one was home-but when she called to tell me, i thought she was joking too..

everyones safe

It's a blessed event that all survived. I wish you and your sister's family stregnth and faith in the happier times to come

oh my gosh chilli!!!!!
i am so so so so happy that they are all okay.
when it comes right down to it, if you are safe
that is all that bloody well matters.

That's awful! I'm glad everybody made it out safely.

bluestar2006 said:

Co-sign, big time!!

That's scary...happy to know everyone is safe however!

oh god hun...so glad everyone is ok and thank goodness they have insurance

omfg

this is so not funny, but I lost my lighter yesterday, somewhere between bathing my boys and putting them to bed. I was thinking about this type of scenario for the whole friggin day until I found it on the bathroom floor tonight .

I'm sorry to hear this Chilster, I'm thinking about you.

OMG, I'm so sorry for her but I'm glad no one was hurt.

thats some sad shit, good everyone is alive and insured.

and there are still big shoes in the world.

Sorry to hear this.

BlueZebra said:

U know one of my brothers was saying the same thing on the site for our local newspaper when people where bad mouthing my sister becuase she was young and had 7 children and the area she lives in is a bad area...and he said something about "have any of u ever lost a lighter? What if a child picks it up?"
How could people be so bloody nasty when they barely made it out? I hope karma bites them all on the arse

horatio said: