SAN BERNARDINO -- A 15-year-old girl was being called a hero Friday after a two-alarm fire started in her home and she rushed to get her younger siblings out of the house to safety before calling 9-1-1.
Storhmn Figueroa, heard the smoke alarm going off in her home in the 5500 block of North Western Avenue and swiftly jumped into action.
"I heard the fire alarm and could smell smoke coming from my mom's bedroom," the Cajon High School freshman said. "Her door was locked so I ran outside on the balcony and I could see the flames surrounded by dark smoke. "
She grabbed her siblings, Kyle King, 11, and twin toddlers Eric and Emma, and ran downstairs onto the front lawn.
While waiting for the Fire Department to arrive, the adrenalin began to wear off, allowing the freshman hero to realize just how scared she was.
"I was shaking so bad I couldn't stop," Storhmn said. "But all I could think was wow, I got everybody out."
The top firefighter in San Bernardino expressed his views on Storhmn's actions and bravery.
"This young lady is a hero as far as I'm concerned," said San Bernardino City Fire Chief George Avery. "Without thinking, she risked her own safety to ensure that of her siblings. "
The Fire Department received the call around 4 p.m. and raced to the home on North Western Avenue.
When they arrived they found a smoke-filled home with four children out front.
Storhmn told them what she had seen and they sprang into action.
With hoses in hand firefighters swiftly extinguished the blaze, cleared the smoke from the two-story home and removed the mattress from the house.
"This could've been much worse," said one fireman at the scene. "If she had panicked then this might have turned out to be a horrific scene, but she did everything just perfect. "
Many firefighters on the scene were impressed with the teen's actions.
"This was an act of valor unprecedented for a person her age," Avery added.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined but arson investigators were on the scene to look into the matter.
The damage to the home was estimated at $40,000. ___
(c)2013 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)
Visit the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) at www.sbsun.com
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