By Julie Straw - bio | email | twitter
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - A Jackson family of ten lost everything in a house fire Thursday. The flames gutted the home just after 1:30 p.m. on Booker T. Washington Street off Ridgeway Street.
Five year old Nick Turner was being called a hero for saving the lives of his mother, his aunt, his brother and four cousins. The fire started in the children's room where Nick and his cousins, all under the age of six, were watching television. Instead of darting for the door, Nick ran deeper into the house to grab his one year old brother.
"He came from this room. I don't know what made him think about going to get the baby from the back of the room from that side of the house, brought him all the way though here and got them out," said Joseph Collins, homeowner and grandfather to Nick.
The five year old did not stop there. He went to the other bedrooms, waking his sleeping aunt and mother. "It had burned the top of the door and I had to wake her up," said Nick.
"He had the other kids behind him. He had a baby on his hip and he ran to that front door. See with those kids they knew to get out of there. He said, mom I'm scared. We gotta go. We did. We got out of there," said Nick's mother Tiffany Turner.
Hours later the family was looking over the charred remains of their house. They tried to salvage what they could, but nothing was left. The flames and smoke destroyed everything.
I never thought this would happen. (I've) been here almost 25 years," said Joseph Collins.
"They thinking it's electrical. They say it's a total loss," said Collin's wife Colleen.
What they do have is each other thanks to one brave little boy. "Mommy's proud of you, thank you," said Tiffany Turner.
©2011 WLBT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
