The tale of a brave uncle named Derrick Byrd is more evidence that not all heroes wear capes.
It is not surprising that the people in his village have praised this brave man as a hero for giving up his life to save the lives of his niece and nephews.
There were six individuals present when the fire broke out at the family’s Aberdeen, Washington, house, including Derrick’s sister Kayla and her three kids.
Realizing that the house could easily burn down in no time, quick-thinking Derrick caught his nephews and jumped out of the window from the second floor while holding them in his arms.
Mercedes, his 8-year-old niece, watched her mother drop from the roof but refrained from jumping.
Without hesitating even for a second, Derrick returned inside the house to rescue his trapped niece.
Once inside, he felt the flames burning his face, but saving Mercedes was more important than anything else.
“I could feel it burning me,” he explained.
“I got her and took my shirt off and put it around her face so she wouldn’t breathe in any smoke and I just carried her out as fast as I could.”
As a result of his heroic deed, Derrick suffered second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms. His recovery took some time and he experienced a lot of pain, but he says he would do it again if he needs to.
“Even though I got burnt, I really didn’t care, though. I’d rather get burnt than her. She’s young. She’s still got a lot of stuff going for her. She’s a good kid,” he told KOMO-TV.
“I’d run back in there and do it again even if I got burnt worse or died.”
Commenting on people calling him a hero, humble Derrick said, “I can’t say a hero. I’d just say for my niece and nephews, I wasn’t going to let them die.”
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Derrick Byrd is the kind of uncle anyone would ask for. We wish him speedy recovery.