A city in Virginia has awarded a hero’s proclamation to a 12-year-old boy who rescued his grandmother and two younger siblings from a fire that burned their house down recently.
The courage that Ramir Parker demonstrated when confronted with the blaze “is a shining example of resilience, responsibility and the power of instinctive leadership in our youth”, said the proclamation that officials in Petersburg gave to the local seventh-grade student.
Ramir’s story gained attention among corners of the internet dedicated to spotlighting positive news.
As he put it in an interview with the Virginia news station WTVR, Ramir heard a strange noise in his family’s home on 3 June, went downstairs and realized there was “black smoke all throughout the house”.
Ramir ran directly to a couch where his brothers – aged one and two – were sleeping on opposite ends and “picked both of them up” as the fire that had broken out quickly spread, he recalled to WTVR.
“I fitted them inside my arms and … ran outside the house,” Ramir added.
Not everyone was out of danger yet, however. The boy knew his grandmother was still in the home at that point. So he ran back inside, navigated the thick smoke to find his grandmother, and helped lead her to safety as the fire raged.
By the time local firefighters arrived, which was within four minutes of being called, Ramir had already gotten everybody out of the house, the Petersburg fire chief, Wayne Hoover, told WTVR.
“The bottom line – he saved his family’s life,” Hoover said of the boy.
An investigation later determined a downstairs electrical problem ignited the fire. Images published online showed how the blaze – which investigators determined was accidental – had destroyed Ramir’s family’s home.
Subsequently, at a local government meeting on 17 June, Petersburg’s mayor, Samuel Parham, gave Ramir a proclamation declaring him a municipal hero because of how “critical” his “swift response was in preserving life and minimizing harm”.
A statement from the city’s government noted that those who were at the meeting gave the boy a standing ovation for what the proclamation described as “a level of bravery and presence of mind well beyond his years”.
The proclamation offered “deepest gratitude and admiration for his bravery and selfless actions in the face of danger”.
“The city … recognizes Ramir Parker in celebration of his remarkable heroism and in acknowledgment of the inspiration he provides to our entire community,” the proclamation also said.
Hoover, meanwhile, told WTVR that Ramir had a job waiting for him at the Petersburg fire department as soon as the boy turns 18 and legally becomes an adult.
Petersburg has about 33,500 residents and is about 20 miles (32km) south of Virginia’s capital, Richmond.
The station asked Ramir about risking it all before first responders’ arrival to save his siblings and grandmother.
“It’s my little brothers – I don’t care,” Ramir said. “‘Cause the only thing that matters is I got my little brothers out of the house – and my grandma.”
