A heroic 11-year-old boy rescued his two-year-old sister after their apartment building went up in flames on Tuesday.
As reported by WLBT, the apartment block in Maryland caught fire around 6:00PM due to a possible electrical problem that officials have ruled as accidental.
Laprentis Doughty - the brave 11-year-old - knew he had to act quickly as his two-year-old sister was trapped inside the apartment at the time.
Investigators report that Laprentis made his way out of the building before realizing that his younger sister was still inside. It was then that he ran back inside to the second floor in order to rescue her.
"If I didn’t save my sister, I would be mad at myself because I could’ve saved her easily. I could have saved her, and I would risk my life for my sister," he said. "I feel good that my sister’s alive today. I feel happy that Thanksgiving is tomorrow."
Laprentis' mom Keishuana Banks is incredibly grateful for her son's heroics. "I feel bad because I don’t know how to reward him right now. I praise him and let him know, ‘Do you know you did a good job?’ But I’m still trying to process everything. I’m still in shock," she explained.
According to a GoFundMe post, Keishuana was at a grocery store at the time the fire broke out, collecting items for Thanksgiving dinner when she received an alarming phone call. "omw (on my way) home my best friend called screaming for me to hurry home [because] my house is on fire."
Laprentis has been recognized for his bravery by Salisbury Mayor Jake Day: "As a mayor, I’m always looking for citizens who are selfless, citizens who are willing to lead, and we’ve got one right here," he said.
The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in structural damage and a further $40,000 in damage to the contents of the property.
Laprentis and his family are staying in a hotel for the time being, and are being supported by the American Red Cross. A GoFundMe page has been set up in order to raise funds for the family, which at the time of writing has received $6,650 in donations.
Our hats go off to Laprentis and his extraordinary bravery!
