This 7-year-old boy went back into a burning home to save his baby sister

A 7-year-old boy from Tennessee is being hailed a hero after he saved his baby sister from a fire that destroyed their house.

On December 8, the Davidsons were enjoying a typical night in their New Tazewell home. Nicole and Chris fed their three children dinner and later tucked them into bed. As per usual, the family was all asleep by 8:30pm.

But at about 11:30pm, Nicole was jolted awake by the smell of smoke. Within minutes, their home was up in flames.

Nicole and Chris were both former firefighters, so they were able to act quickly amid the scary situation. Chris used a fire extinguisher to buy his wife enough time to get their children.

Nicole first grabbed Eli and two-year-old Elijah because they were closest to the fire. However, she was unable to get to the bedroom of 22-month-old Erin. The smoke and fire had gotten so thick that there was no way to reach her from inside the house.

They went outside with their two sons, and Chris attempted to retrieve Erin himself. However, there was nothing for him to stand on to reach up the window.

So, he lifted Eli into Erin’s bedroom window so that the young boy could rescue the sleeping toddler. Eli then bravely grabbed Erin from her crib, handed her out the window, and escaped from the flames himself.

“Dad busted the window and then I said, ‘I can’t do it,’ like two times, and then I said, “I got her dad”,” Eli recalled of the terrifying moment. “I was scared but I didn’t want my sister to die.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of Eli,” Chris said. “He did something a grown man wouldn’t do.”

Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire. By the time the firefighters arrived, the home was completely destroyed. It’s still undetermined what caused the fire, but authorities believe it could be electrical.

The Davidsons are currently staying with a nearby relative.

Someone had launched a GoFundMe to help the family get back on their feet. At the time of writing, it has raised $347,422—far exceeding the target of $5,000—from 6.8K donors.

Nicole and Chris have fostered 34 children over the years, including Eli. Erin and Elijah are both their adopted children as well.

The family now has to start from scratch after suffering a job loss because of the pandemic and the death of Nicole’s grandfather.

Their home was a total loss, and the fire also damaged their three cars.

“It’s devastating. We have nothing,” Chris told CNN. “You have never been as humble as you are when you don’t even have your own underwear to wear.”

Since news of the fire and Eli’s heroic deed made the news, the Davidsons have received monetary donations, household items, clothes, and toys.

Nicole is thankful to everyone who has been helping them along the way.

“I could never repay anyone for their kindness that they’ve shown my family,’ Nicole said. “Please know that it will always be with me, it’s not something you forget about. I am beyond grateful.”

Nicole said she has been reading some of the nice comments people have made on Facebook about Eli’s actions, to which the young boy said, “Mom I’m gonna be famous.”

“I still don’t think at his age he grasps what he has done and how phenomenal that is,” the proud mom said.

“It’s okay to be scared, but you’re brave inside and you can do it when you want to,” the young hero said.

Thanks to Eli’s bravery and his parents’ quick thinking, their entire family is safe and sound.