Brave girl runs into a burning apartment complex to rescue three children

Some acts of bravery will melt your heart and this act is one among them. According to CBC, Shenika Chornoby saved three kids from an apartment complex fire in northern Manitoba First Nation more than a week ago without worrying about her own safety. On February 11, 2022, like any other day, Chornoby was walking to work in her community of Tataskweyak Cree Nation. She felt something odd and looked around. She immediately saw a girl and a teenager screaming from a building. "And then I saw the smoke [coming] from the apartment building," she said. She quickly went upstairs, entered the apartment and picked up the two kids. She brought both the children out to safety. 

Thankfully, that's when a Tataskweyak firefighter reached the spot along with many others from a neighboring apartment complex who wanted to help with the rescue operations. Reportedly, eight of them, including Chornoby went into the apartment. The fire was spreading fast. She said that she saw a two-year-old crying in a closet in one of the suites. The firefighter took the child through a window before others left the complex. "I was in there for who knows how long," said Chornoby. "And then I got out and I fainted." Chornoby, who has asthma, collapsed due to smoke inhalation and needed CPR from a bystander, which reportedly dislocated her shoulder and damaged her ribcage. Soon, she and the two-year-old child were airlifted to Winnipeg's HSC Children's Hospital, where she gained consciousness three days later. "It's very much a blur," she said.

"A lot of people were worried and surprised that I made it because I was the first one in that fire." Chornoby was recently discharged from the hospital and will soon be heading home. She feels good about going back as she misses her school and teachers. "Everybody's saying they want to see me. I kind of miss them." She is seen as a hero in her community for her act of bravery. "I honestly just feel normal. It's kind of overwhelming with how many people know me now," she said.

"I didn't have adrenaline. I wasn't scared or annoyed. I just felt like myself at that moment." Tataskweyak Chief Taralee Beardy had earlier said that the apartment fire could have been prevented if the community had a functioning fire truck. The current truck has not been functional for more than a month due to mechanical issues, he said.

Chornoby agreed with Beardy and said many northern communities do not have proper fire protection resources. However, Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Nicolas Moquin said in an email to CBC that the federal government provides $216,000 every year to Tataskweyak Cree Nation for fire protection and other services.

Chornoby thanked the nurses that helped her to recover after the fire incident and later added that she would run into another fire if she has to save people. "I can't let anyone get hurt." "I can't let anyone get hurt." Moreover, Chornoby's grandfather started a fundraiser for her on GoFundMe. Leonard Chornoby Sr wrote that he wanted to honor his granddaughter for her bravery with these funds. People have donated more than $3000 through the page.