The story of a brave uncle named Derrick Byrd demonstrates that not all heroes wear capes.
It is hardly unexpected that his family has hailed him as a hero for risking his life to rescue the lives of his niece and nephews.
Derrick’s sister Kayla and her three children were among those when the fire broke out at the family’s Aberdeen, Washington, home.
Seeing how quickly the home could burn down, Derrick grabbed his nephews and jumped out the window from the second story while carrying them in his arms.
Mercedes, his 8-year-old niece, watched her mother fall from the roof but did not follow.
Derrick returned inside the house without hesitation to rescue his captive niece.
He could feel the flames on his face once inside, but saving Mercedes was more essential.
“I felt like it was scorching me,” he explained.
“I grabbed her, ripped my shirt off, wrapped it around her face so she wouldn’t take in any smoke, and simply carried her out as quickly as I could.”
Due to his heroic gesture, Derrick sustained second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms. His rehabilitation took time, and he was in a lot of agonies, but he says he’d do it again if he had to.
“Even though I got burned, I didn’t care. I’d rather burn myself than her. She is rather young. She still has a lot of things going for her. “She’s a nice kid,” he said to KOMO-TV.
“Even if I got badly burned or killed, I’d rush back in there and do it again.”
In response to people calling him a hero, Derrick stated, “I can’t say a hero. I’d just say that I wouldn’t let my nieces and nephews die.”
For more information on the story, watch the video below and SHARE it with your family and friends on Facebook.
Derrick Byrd is the type of uncle that everyone would want. We wish him a quick recovery.
