In Petersburg, Virginia, a seventh grader is being hailed as a hometown hero after risking his own safety to save his family from a fast-moving house fire. Four lives were spared that day — and all because 12-year-old Romir Parker’s instincts told him there was no time to waste.
It happened in early June, when an ordinary afternoon suddenly turned into a life-or-death emergency. Romir was upstairs in his bedroom when he heard an unusual noise from downstairs. Curious, he headed toward the sound — only to be met by a wall of thick, black smoke.
Inside the burning home was his grandmother, who needed help to escape. Braving the smoke again, Romir went back inside, found her, and guided her…