‘Help us please’: girl, 4, in China locked inside burning house with baby sister praised for calm head during emergency call
- A 4-year-old girl locked inside her home with her younger sister as a fire broke out in the kitchen calmly dials emergency and moves to safety
- The girl’s quick thinking during the emergency was caught on video and posted online where it has delighted and inspired Chinese social media
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A four-year-old girl in southern China who called emergency to save herself and her younger sister from a house fire has been applauded for her calm bravery on mainland social media.
The unnamed girl, from Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, surprised her family when she acted quickly to protect her sister when a fire started in their home kitchen, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
A viral video of the incident showed the girl discovering a pan in the kitchen had caught fire and quickly covered the flames. She then ran to the living room and called China’s emergency helpline.
When she got through to an operator, she raised her voice to call out the word “fireman” and then calmly told the operator what was happening.
“Could you open the door to get out of your home?” The operator is heard asking in the video.
“Please hold on. No, I couldn’t open the door. My grandma locked it, and I don’t know how to open it,” the girl replied.
Feeling momentarily helpless the girl started crying, but quickly regained her composure and comforted her distressed younger sister.
She then explained the fire’s origin to the operator; her grandma had left the stove on before she left home and locked the door behind.
The girl then gave the operator her home address.
“Help us please,” the girl continued.
“OK, we are coming,” the operator said.
After finishing the call with the operator, the girl took her sister into a bedroom where she used a quilt to block gaps around the door to stop smoke from entering the room.
She then moved near an open window to minimise smoke inhalation and waited for help to arrive.
“Together with my sister we were standing here next to a window for some fresh air,” the girl said.
Upon arrival, firefighters ran into the kitchen and quickly put out the fire.
Interviewed with her parents after the incident, the girl explained that she was initially overwhelmed by panic before remembering her kindergarten teacher’s lessons about what to do if a fire breaks out.
“My teacher said we must make an emergency call when there is a fire,” she said.
The girl’s quick-thinking and calm demeanour during the emergency delighted and inspired Chinese social media.
One person commented: “She even knows to block the gap under the door, bravo.”
Another wrote: “I am touched by such a girl with a cool head.”
“How fantastic! She definitely remained much calmer than me,” another said.
“The girl’s kindergarten also deserves a compliment, as it has a wonderful teacher,” another person wrote.
