Yahoo Finance Parents Couldn't Smell Smoke from House Fire After Getting COVID — But Their Son, 2, Saved the Day
Courtesy of Kayla Dahl Brandon Dahl and family
A Texas toddler is being hailed as "a mini hero" after he warned his parents, who had lost their sense of smell after testing positive for COVID-19, of a fire that broke out at their home in Alvord, Texas.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Jan. 15, Brandon Dahl, 2, woke up his parents, alerting them of the impending danger with only a few words, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.
"He tapped me on my feet in bed and was coughing and saying, 'Mama, hot. Mama, hot,' " Kayla Dahl told Good Morning America. "I turned around. I looked and all I saw was flames in the doorway."
Courtesy of Kayla Dahl
Thanks to Brandon, the family of seven was able to escape uninjured before their home was engulfed in flames, per WFAA. Their fire alarms, which were less than a year old, only went off once they were all outside.
"He saved our entire family," Kayla told the outlet. "I mean, he's our little mini hero."
"We had seconds," added dad Nathan, a volunteer firefighter. "It's nothing short of a miracle."
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Courtesy of Kayla Dahl Dahl family home in Alvord, Texas, following the devastating fire
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Although the parents had practiced fire drills with their children in the past, Nathan and Kayla's lack of taste and smell — a common symptom of COVID-19 — made this emergency more difficult.
"We were still recovering," Kayla, 28, told The Washington Post.
The Dahls lost everything, including their vehicles, in the blaze, which they believe was caused by a gas heater in the room where Brandon was sleeping that night, according to the newspaper. They are currently staying with family.
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"It's going to be a long, hard road to get to be where we need to be and to replace those material items," Kayla told the Post. "But at the same time, if it wasn't for my son's guardian angel that morning, I don't know where we would be."
A GoFundMe page set up for the family to help cover their immediate expenses has already surpassed its $5,000 goal.
"We've had an extremely, extremely blessed outpour of love and support," Kayla told WFAA.
