HEROES HONOURED
Teenagers’ actions helped neighbours escape blaze
A Saskatoon family can thank the teens living next door for the quick thinking that may have saved their lives on Aug. 27.
Colson Klinger was upstairs in his home when he looked out a window and saw a fire burning in the backyard of his neighbours’ house. He rushed downstairs to share his discovery with his family; his father Dave quickly called the fire department.
The house was dark when Colson first noticed the blaze around 9:20 p.m. Determined to help, but unsure if anyone was inside, Colson and his sister, Ami, decided to rush over. They frantically knocked at the door until they were able to rouse the three people sleeping inside.
“They still didn’t answer after a couple of minutes, but I felt like somebody was still in there,” Ami said. “So I just kept knocking and ringing the doorbell until someone came out.”
Ami said she wasn’t panicked about the situation, but she was feeling nervous about the wellbeing of the people she was sure were still inside.
Their calm, quick thinking earned them a private ride in a fire truck, an award of merit from the fire department, and an award recognizing their bravery and courage from Saskatoon West MP Sheri Benson.
“(Their) actions gave the neighbours the chance to leave their home quickly while it was still safe to do so, and also allowed us to be there as soon as possible,” said fire Chief Morgan Hackl.
Assistant chief Wayne Rodger added that without the actions taken by the Klinger family things could have been much worse.
“That fire developed quite significantly on the exterior of the building and because we don’t have smoke alarms on the exterior the occupants were completely oblivious to that growth,” he said. “One of our chiefs on scene indicated that when the fire actually broke through into the house it moved through the house very quickly. Had they not been notified, the results of this fire may have been a lot more tragic.”
Dave said he is proud of his children and the bravery they displayed. He also confirmed the neighbours, whose home suffered damages estimated at $400,000, have come over to thank the family for alerting them to the fire.
“I’m not really a hero,” Ami said. “I just did what’s right.”