Lost Driver’s Quick Thinking Saves 4 Siblings From Fire-Engulfed Home

Nov 10, 2022 by apost team

It was a case of being in the right place at the right time for one Iowa man who had taken a wrong turn but ended up saving the lives of four siblings. 

On Oct. 23, 2022, in Red Oak, Iowa, aspiring rapper Brendon Birt was trying to drop off a friend when he took a wrong turn in the wee hours of the morning. While he was lost, he spotted what appeared to be a fire on the front porch of a house. He told NBC News he knew “it was going to get real bad, real quick.” Without hesitating, he stopped the car, called the emergency services and rushed to the house.

“I took a step back (because) the heat was just so crazy,” he continued telling the outlet, “So I went to the side of the house.” He also told KETV he had a strong feeling there were people still inside the house on account of it being around 2 a.m. in the morning. “I just felt like somebody was in there because it was so late at night, you know? I just knew that I had to act quick,” he said, adding, “Like every second that was going by was just getting worse.”

Birt then began shouting and banging on the windows to alert any occupants inside of the immediate threat. “I just pretty much just started knocking, just going crazy,” he said. 

As the fire raged outside, four siblings, fast asleep inside the house, awoke to the sound of Birt’s shouts. One of the children, 14-year-old Spirit Lehman, heard the screams and realized the danger she and her sibling were in and jumped into action.

Footage from the home’s Ring doorbell video showed Birt approaching the house and shouting as the fire on the porch intensified. Moments later, the terrifying clip showed three children exiting the front door past the raging flames, which had already reached the roof.

“I woke up because I heard the banging and the screaming outside of the house, Spirit said, adding she then awoke her younger brother Christopher, 8, and older sister Kendrick, 17. However, their older brother, Bryce Harrison, 22, was still in the house. But in the nick of time, Harrison was also seen storming through the front door just before the entire porch was engulfed in flames. 

“Walked up into an oven of heat and flames on the front, the front wall,” Harrison said.

Birt was overcome with emotion after all the siblings had escaped the house unharmed. He told KETV, “They came out the door. Like, I just felt like I just wanted to break down and cry. Like, I don't even know these people here.” 

Meanwhile, the children’s mother, Tender Lehman, who was in Montana at the time attending to a family emergency, rushed back home upon learning about the incident. “I immediately kicked into mom mode and was like, OK, I need to find these guys a place to stay,” she told NBC News. 

She also called Birt “family now,” and her gratitude for his actions was clear when she met him face to face. “I’m so incredibly grateful,” an emotional Tender told Birt as her voice broke before embracing him in a hug. “For sure,” Birt responded.

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Wasn’t that a close escape for those siblings? What do you think of Birt’s heroic actions? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to family and friends.