Teen hailed a hero after waking family in devastating Pine Hill house fire
Thanks to his quick actions, his parents, older brother, and two young sisters were all able to make it out of the burning house safely.
Seven people were taken to hospitals after a fast-moving fire tore through a home early Tuesday, leaving a family displaced in Pine Hill.
The incident began at approximately 12:59 a.m. when Pine Hill Police were dispatched to a reported dwelling fire along the 100 block of Erial Road.
A 16-year-old boy from Pine Hill is being hailed a hero for waking up his family in the middle of the night after the flames broke out. Thanks to his quick actions, his parents, older brother and two young sisters were all able to escape the burning house safely.
Upon arriving at the scene, police officers from both the Pine Hill and Clementon police departments encountered heavy smoke and active flames billowing from the rear of the building. Officers were immediately met by six family members who had escaped. The residents alerted officers that an older male relative was still trapped inside.
As officers moved to locate the man, he was forced to leap from a second-story window to escape the intensifying smoke and heat. Emergency medical services treated all seven residents at the scene before transporting them to various local hospitals for evaluation and treatment.
The Pine Hill Fire Department arrived at 1:03 a.m. and battled the blaze, officially bringing the fire under control at 1:43 a.m.
Police say the home is a complete loss and has been deemed uninhabitable.
The local community has quickly rallied to support the victims. A GoFundMe campaign for the family has already raised nearly $20,000 to help them recover.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation by the Camden County Fire Marshal.
