7-yr-old jumps through window of burning home to save baby sister: "I didn't want her to die"

A 7-year-old boy risked his own life to save his baby sister after jumping through a window as a fire ravaged through their home. Eli pulled his 22-month-old sister out of the room after their parents were unable to access the room through the door due to the fire. The incident happened in New Tazewell, Tennessee, on December 8, as the family tucked the children into bed after dinner. Everyone was asleep by 8.30 pm but less than an hour later, Nicole Davidson, their mother woke up smelling smoke. In a matter of minutes, the whole house was on fire. Nicole Davidson rushed to get their children. “(Chris) grabbed the fire extinguisher trying to buy me time to get the kids, and I grabbed the boys because they were closest to the fire,” Nichole Davidson told WSOCTV. Their baby daughter Erin Davidson was in a crib and trapped in her room. The couple quickly grabbed their two other children — 2-year-old son Elijah and Eli, before heading to their baby daughter's room. 

As soon as they got there, they realized her bedroom was engulfed in flames, making it impossible to enter through the door. Nicole Davidson and Chris Davidson are former firefighters and they knew they had possible seconds to save their daughter. "The smoke and fire was so thick there was no way I could get to her," said Chris Davidson, reported CNN. "We went outside to get to her from the window, but there was nothing for me to stand on to reach up there. Chris Davidson turned to Eli, who has been fostered by the family for nearly a year, for help. Chris Davidson picked up Eli, who entered the room through the window and managed to grab his baby sister just in time before jumping out into their father's arms. Eli was scared of the fire but nothing was going to stand between him and his baby sister. "I thought I couldn't do it, but then I said, 'I got her, dad,'" said Eli. "I was scared, but I didn't want my sister to die."

Chris Davidson said the couple "couldn't be more proud of Eli." They were in awe of his bravery. "He did something a grown man wouldn't do." The whole house was gutted flames by the time a team of 20 firefighters responded to the incident. New Tazewell Fire Chief Josh Miracle said the Davidsons' house was fully gutted and added that "nothing was left." The couple is now forced to rebuild their home "from scratch" after their home was destroyed by the fire. Nicole and Chris Davidson, who are also former firefighters, have lost their job, on account of Coronavirus. "We lost everything that we have ever had," said Chris Davidson said. "Our entire lives were in that home. Our three cars were also damaged in the fire. It's devastating. We have nothing. You have never been as humble as you are when you don't even have your own underwear to wear," he added. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by the family to support the Davidsons. The campaign has reached $321,295 of its $5,000 goal.

In a similar incident from earlier this year, Noah Woods, a 5-year-old from Georgia, saved his family's lives. He was fast asleep when he saw flames come out of his bedroom. He carried his 2-year-old sister outside before alerting his uncle who helped alert the rest of the family members, saving their lives. The local firefighting department conferred him with the title of an honorary firefighter. "We've seen children alert their families before but for a 5-year-old to be alert enough to do this ... that's pretty extraordinary," said Dwayne Jamison, the Bartow County Fire Department Chief, reported CNN.