Wichita, Kansas News, Weather, Sports - 4 teens rush into burning home to rescue their 90-year-old neigh

For 58 years, Oklahoma resident Catherine Ritchie has lived in the same home in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. That all changed three weeks ago.

She said she was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when she turned around and saw the head of her bed was on fire, KTUL reports. That's where her heroes came in.

Four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 in a nearby home went outside to leave for a convenience store, and then they noticed the smell.

"It smelled kind of like burning rubber," 16-year-old Dylan Wick told the Tulsa ABC station. "Then we heard the house alarm go off."

Catherine was still inside trying to put the fire. But she quickly gave up, called 911 and hit her emergency call button. Then came another problem.

"The smoke was so bad, I couldn't see to get out of my room," she said. "I felt along the wall, and I went into the closet instead of the door to get out of the room. I finally did get to the door."

While trying to feel her way out of the house, the boys jumped into action and tried to break down doors to get inside.

One of the boys, 14-year-old Nick Byrd managed to get through the back door and ran inside, finding Catherine in the hallway, lost in the smoke.

"This young boy was right there. He picked me up, and I said, 'I can walk,' and he said, 'We're getting out of here,'" Catherine said.

"I just kind of heard her. I went to the right of the house and no one was there," Byrd said. "I went to the left of the house, and I saw her in the hallway, so I just grabbed her and took her to Seth."

Catherine and her heroes made it out safely, and firefighters stopped the flames before they spread.

The boys went back to the home on Wednesday to see the damage and reflect on what happened weeks earlier.

"Ever since that night, my life has just changed...for the better," said 17-year-old Wyatt Hall as he looked at the burned mattress.

"That's what I have to think. They were just special, as young as they were."

One of Catherine's daughters wrote a blog post thanking the four boys. Read it here.

VerityParody on June 6th, 2019 at 18:04 UTC »

Response from the daughter from the link at the bottom of the article

Two weeks ago, my 90-year-old mother, Catherine Ritchie, was preparing herself for bed at around 9pm. After brushing her teeth and hair, she turned around to find her bed completely engulfed in flames. She made an attempt to extinguish the flames herself by throwing blankets and pillows on the fire. The smoke and heat were so overwhelming that she immediately got disoriented, gave up fighting the fire, and decided to flee. She pushed the emergency call button she wears on her necklace, called 911, and attempted to get out of her now engulfed bedroom. She walked into the closet several times thinking it was the door that leads to the hallway. It wasn’t. She couldn’t find her way out. She was stuck. Smoke everywhere.

Across the street, 4 boys saw the smoke and reflection of flames. Not an adult in sight. 4 kids who took immediate action to save an elderly woman who they couldn’t guarantee was home and who 3 of them had never even met. One started breaking the glass on the front door. One called 911. One went to the back door and began kicking it in. One went to the neighbors for an ax and help. Within minutes, a door was kicked in by a 14-year-old child who found my mother in the hallway outside of her bedroom and picked her up in his arms. Kids who are told about all the things they aren’t old enough to do saved the life of the most precious and beloved woman we know. Courageous young men. Young men who risked their own lives, their own safety, perhaps their good standing with their parents who might have chosen for them to do otherwise, and they carried my mother out of her burning home into the street, where firetrucks and ambulances would soon arrive.

Dylan Wick – 16 years old, Nick Byrd – 14 years old, Seth Byrd – 16 years old, and Wyatt Hall – 17 years old, thank you! Thank you for your selfless acts of heroism and courage. Thank you for not allowing this to be the tragic end to our mother’s amazing life. Thank you for staying with her, hugging her, and helping her feel less alone until we could get to her. Thank you for being the kind of young men who thought about another person above yourselves. Thank you for staying safe yourselves as well. Thank you to your parents who obviously raised you in such a way that lead to you making life saving and heroic decisions on behalf of someone else. Thank you for more than we know how to thank you for! We will forever be indebted to the time you bought for us and the example you set for us. God Bless each of you for being such a blessing to us.

Sincerely,

Michael Ritchie, Karen Ritchie Sontag, Pat Ritchie, Jimmy Ritchie, Kelly Ritchie, John Ritchie, Tim Ritchie, Tom Ritchie, Missy Ritchie Nicholas, Ryan Ritchie, and 42 very grateful grandchildren.

Send-Me-Some-Money on June 6th, 2019 at 15:47 UTC »

While trying to feel her way out of the house, the boys jumped into action and tried to break down doors to get inside.

One of the boys, 14-year-old Nick Byrd managed to get through the back door and ran inside, finding Catherine in the hallway, lost in the smoke.

"This young boy was right there. He picked me up, and I said, 'I can walk,' and he said, 'We're getting out of here,'" Catherine said.

Literally the definition of a hero

cuontheflippityflop on June 6th, 2019 at 15:36 UTC »

Gen Z is killing the funeral industry!