I really like this simply story because it is always nice to read about boys and girls doing some something really special to help a cat or cats. Somehow we are conditioned to believing that teenagers don’t really care that much about the family cat. They have more important things to do. The general feeling is that the family cat is primarily the responsibility of the lady of the house. That is not strictly true. For example, Diane who lives in America has a son who cares as much about the family’s cats as she does.
Anyway in this story, a 16-year-old boy, Charlie Ainsworth, who is more like young man, led his 76-year-old neighbour to safety from his smoke filled home. The 76-year-old pensioner had forgotten that he had a chip pan on the oven hob and it burst into flames. His home filled with smoke. The pensioner became confused.
Charlie acted instinctively. He explains what happened:
“My first reaction was to get around to next door as fast as I could…..”When I got there I couldn’t see anything – it was just full of smoke.
“The back door was locked and I was trying to get in. I was banging on the door.
“But mum was on the phone to me and she said there was a key fob so I managed to get in using that.
“I walked in and saw my neighbour walking through the kitchen disoriented and confused.
“We got out and waited for the fire brigade.
“In the moment I was not really nervous, just confused about what to do.”
When he had got his neighbour to safety, Charlie remembered that he had a cat who was probably inside the smoke filled house:
“When I managed to get him out of the house I suddenly remembered about the cat, so I had to go back in the house and find him, grab him and get him outside.”
Charlie says that most people would have done the same thing. I am not sure that he is entirely right. Perhaps most people wold have done something to help save the pensioner but would they go back into a dangerous house and risk their life to save the family cat? I don’t believe so. It was an enlightened and caring decision.
His mother is rightly proud of her son. Charlie is head boy at his school. He’ll do something good in life, I expect.
The firefighters who dealt with the fire praised him for his efforts:
“This young man has acted quickly and bravely and has potentially saved this gentleman’s life.”
Source: Mirror online
A true hero in my book.
Just to put the record straight, the second wasn’t Rover…it was his salamander. That’s o.k then.
Good on Charlie, puts me in mind of an interview I saw, Ricky Gervais on American T.V. He was asked what three things would he take from his house one at a time if it was on fire….I would go get Tiddles first he said, I love that cat, then Rover he’s a true friend for me, and lastly asked the interviewer? Oh.God..let me think….probably one of the twins! Made me chuckle.
Nice comment Alan. Made me smile. Gervais goes up in my esteem by several notches.
I think Charlie is one of a kind. You’re right, Michael, many people would have gone into the house to save the human, but I’m not sure they would even think about mounting a rescue mission for the cat. I really love to see stories like this. I wish Charlie all the good fortune in the world.
In general (not amongst people like you and me) people don’t value the life of a cat highly enough to take the risk of going into a house that is filled with smoke and dangerous. This boy did and good on him. I think he has been raised very well with correct values.