When a family’s house burned, it was not a fire alarm that saved them.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, house fires are one of the most dangerous disasters. More than a quarter of the fires reported in the years between 2015 and 2019 occurred in homes. 75% of civilian deaths and 72% of injuries were caused by home fires.
It not only destroys everything you’ve worked hard for. It also places your family and loved ones at risk.
Such an incident happened to a family in New Jersey.
Jimmy Karlbon is a local volunteer firefighter and the former fire chief of Avenel. However, it wasn’t him who was the first one to spring into action when their house was burning.
The incident happened just after 2 AM. A fire started on the first floor of their house which eventually tripped the smoke detector.
His daughter, Madalyn Karlbon, woke up to the sound of the alarm.
Unfortunately, the sound of the smoke detector and the smoke that was quickly filling the house failed to wake her parents and brother up.
“I remember my daughter screaming, ‘Daddy, the house is on fire, the house is on fire,'” Jimmy Karlbon recalled to WABC. “I didn’t hear the smoke detectors. I didn’t hear nothing. All I heard was, ‘The house is on fire.'”
As the nightmare unfolded, little Madalyn was quick on her feet.
There was no time to panic. All she knew was she needed to save everyone. She ran to where her family was and tried to wake them up one by one.
“I tried to wake up mommy,” the young girl said to the news station. “And then I called daddy’s name, and daddy woke up Hunter and mommy.”
Fortunately, the entire family made it out safely.
Thanks to Madalyn, her parents and her 2-year-old brother Hunter were safe. The same couldn’t be said about their belongings. They lost most of them and their home was deemed inhabitable.
But those that couldn’t be replaced, like the lives Madalyn saved that day, were safe and sound.
Madalyn’s reactions may have stemmed from training.
Besides being the daughter of a firefighter, Madalyn had also recently been taught about fire safety at school.
Cory Spillar, a member of the local fire department shared that he had just taught her and her classmates three months before the incident.
The Avenel Fire Department lauded her efforts.
“It goes without saying how bright and smart of a girl you are. This morning proved that!! You recognized danger immediately and were able to assist in getting everyone out of the house before the fire got worse.” The fire department wrote on Facebook.
They also took the opportunity to convince people to buy smoke detectors and the importance of keeping kids informed about fire safety not just during fire prevention week, but throughout the entire year.
“Madalyn, it goes without saying how bright and smart of a girl you are. This morning proved that!! You recognized danger immediately and were able to assist in getting everyone out of the house before the fire got worse. To say all of us here at the Avenel Fire Department are so proud of you is an understatement.” The post concluded.
Watch how this little girl saved her entire family when she heard their smoke alarm go off in the video below!
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