A teenager took matters into his own hands by running into a burning house to rescue an 11-year-old boy late Monday in Mansfield, Texas.
Gabriel Vivoni, 17, was returning home from swim practice when he noticed an orange glow coming from his neighbor's garage. He frantically knocked on the door and rang the doorbell before running home to call 911. Then, returning to the residence, he ran through the burning garage and into the house to alert the young boy, according to a KXAS-TV report.
"The boy was like, 'Yo, what's going on?' And I was like, 'Hey man, there's a fire in your house right now. We gotta get out of here!'" Vivoni said.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the teenage hero at first thought the glow might have been someone welding inside, but upon returning to the home minutes later, saw the fire engulfing the garage.
Vivioni made the split-second decision to run into the home where he found the boy alone sleeping on the couch not realizing what was happening. He escorted him out of the front door just as the boy's parents were returning home.
When asked if he was scared at all, Vivioni replied "Not really. I just wanted to help. I just wanted to know who was in there, and if they were alright."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A teen sees smoke and fire coming from the garage of a Mansfield home. He then enters the structure where he helps… https://t.co/RSqxZij15a— Mike Forbes (@Mike Forbes) 1572937196.0