The six-year-old girl likely would have died without the efforts of the 25-year-old pizza delivery man, according to the fire chief of the Lafayette Fire Department.
25 years old pizzalahetti Nick Bostic stretched to quite a feat in the state of Indiana, USA.
A little after midnight on July 11, Bostic had noticed a burning single-family house while driving in the city of Lafayette, parked his car and fearlessly headed towards the flames.
Inside the house, he found an 18-year-old woman and three minor children. Bostic ushered them out safely, after which he learned that there was still a six-year-old girl trapped inside the house.
Bostic headed back to the burning house.
Emergency services and the police arrived at the scene of the fire while Bostic was inside rescuing the girl.
Video recorded on a police bodycam shows Bostic running out of the burning house with the child in his arms as rescuers search for him.
This is reported by the Reuters news agency.
“He had gone in and pulled his shirt over his face to protect himself from the smoke. He went down and had practically followed the sound of the six-year-old he found on the floor,” says the fire prevention manager of the Lafayette fire department interviewed by Reuters Brian Alkrien on Thursday.
In Alkrien’s view, Bostic’s actions probably saved the girl’s life.
“He was lying on the ground, so he probably didn’t try to get out on his own, and the smoke had knocked him out really quickly,” says Alkrien.
“So if it wasn’t for what he did, I’d say the six-year-old wouldn’t be alive today.”
Participating the people who were there survived the incident with relatively few injuries.
While rescuing the girl, Bostic got a cut on his right hand, and the girl had a small wound on her leg.
In the overall camera video, Bostic receives first aid for his wound and at the same time asks the rescuers if the child is okay.
Bostic’s wound was so severe that he had to spend two days in the hospital because of it.
Meanwhile, Bostic’s cousin had set up a fundraising campaign for him on GoFundMe. Bostic received over $500,000 in donations within days.
“Especially in small towns, where the fire brigade is not less than a mile away, heroic acts of civilians can be needed to save lives,” says Alkire.