'A child's life was at stake': Duncan, B.C. man hailed as hero after pulling 5-year-old out of burning house
Twelve people survived a massive house fire on Vancouver Island on Halloween night, and a Duncan man is being credited with pulling a five-year-old boy from the burning building.
The fire started around 1 a.m. in the home on Miller Road.
The house is owned by Phil and Loretta Wilson, who have seven children. That night, nine children and three adults were asleep in the house — following a Halloween celebration.
Darla Smith got a frantic call from her sister, Loretta Wilson, in the middle of the night — telling her to come over immediately, because the house was ablaze.
"At one o' clock in the morning I woke up to a phone call from my sister, screaming to get up to (her) house which was on fire," recalled Smith on Wednesday.
Smith credits the fast actions of a neighbour, Rick Wilson, for saving the life of her five-year-old nephew, Enzo.
"There aren't many words to thank him enough for saving my nephew," said an emotional Smith.
The little boy is one of Phil and Loretta Wilson's seven children.
As fire ripped through the home, Enzo was sleeping on the couch in the living room.
Five-year-old Enzo is pictured: (Submitted)
His dad, one uncle and a brother alerted everyone to get out of the burning home. But when they realized the little boy was still inside, Phil punched open the living room window and neighbor Wilson didn't hesitate to charge into the danger.
"We've all been told numerous times that you don't run into a burning building, it's crazy," said Enzo's aunt.
"But when a life is at stake you don't think," she said. "He obviously didn't think about that stuff, he just knew a child's life was at stake and he needed to help."
Enzo suffered burns to 35 per cent of his body.
His parents are injured as well. His father's hand sustained injuries from breaking the glass of the living room window, and his mother was injured when she jumped out of a second-floor bedroom window to escape the fire.
But, all 12 people inside the house are expected to survive.
"It's very grounding to know that everybody got out OK," said Smith on Wednesday while looking at the charred remains of the home.
"It's humbling to know how quickly life can change."
Enzo is at the BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver. He had surgery Wednesday and is expected to undergo several more operations, with the next scheduled for Friday.
"He's got a long road ahead of him," said Smith, who visited the hospital with the boy's father on Monday.
"They figure he'll be at the BC Children's Hospital for at least the next eight weeks," she said.
Smith has started a GoFundMe campaign to help out the family, which is presently without a home.
For the time being, the children are staying with relatives.
On Wednesday, the North Cowichan Fire Department said the cause of the fire was under investigation by the RCMP.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.