Toddler, 2, saves family from undetected house fire by alerting grandfather

The toddler was among three of the home’s occupants who managed to flee the fire which is still being investigated

PUBLISHED APR 4, 2023

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA: A two-year-old saved his family from a burning house by alerting them about a fire that his grandparent had missed. The toddler was one of the three residents of the burning Davoren Park home in Adelaide's north who were able to escape the fire on Monday, April 3. The other residents who managed to escape included the two-year-old's grandfather, as well as another woman living at the house.

The mother of the two-year-old was at work when the incident occurred. The toddler also received treatment for smoke inhalation at the scene, along with the two adults. Investigators have not yet identified a cause of the fire, which is not being viewed as suspicious.

Memphis house fire kills family of 4 as dad tries to break windows to save his children aged 8 and 10

'It was very good the occupants were alerted'

According to firefighters, it was fortunate that the toddler alerted his grandfather when he saw smoke. "From what I’m told by the resident, they didn’t have any active working smoke alarms at this stage," said Metropolitan Fire Service spokesperson Phil Rogers, as per 7News. "He was in the process of replacing those smoke alarms, but he hasn’t actually replaced them, so it was very good the occupants were alerted."

A similar incident occurred in Memphis, killing four

In related news, a father was seen trying to break the windows of his house to save his trapped family as their Memphis home went up in flames on February 28. A Memphis Fire Department spokesperson says those who died were a 10-year-old boy, an 8-year-old boy, and both their mother, 33, and grandfather, 62, reports Fox 13. Authorities claim that a heater was left unattended in their bedroom, which could be the possible reason for the tragedy. The family was trapped in the room and could not escape the raging flames. The father tried to break the windows to get into the house with the help of neighbors and save his loved ones. However, it was a futile attempt.

Another house fire occurred in France, killing eight

Meanwhile, another house fire occurred on February 6, at Charly-sur-Marne, where a mother and her seven children died after a fire broke out in their home while they were sleeping. As previously reported by MEAWW, the mother and her children, aged 2 to 14, succumbed to asphyxiation. According to prosecutor Julien Morino-Ros, the cause of the fire appears to be a defective clothes dryer on the first floor of the house.