An Indiana man who entered a burning house and rescued five people, including a 6-year-old girl with whom he jumped from a second-story window, says he is no hero and that the serious injuries he suffered were “worth it.” the sorrow”.
Nick Bostic, 25, of Lafayette, was driving early on July 11 in the northwestern Indiana city when he saw a house on fire. He stopped and ran inside to alert his residents.
“I slammed on the brakes, I turned the wheel, I did a 180 (degree) turn. I ran to the back of the house and was yelling to see if anyone was there. Four faces, three or four, appeared at the top,” he told WLFI-TV.
The Washington Post reported that an 18-year-old girl was at home taking care of her three brothers, ages 1, 6 and 13, and a 13-year-old friend of her brother’s 13-year-old friend. The parents of the four brothers had gone out to play darts.
Bostic said the 18-year-old was able to get three of the four children out, but told him one was still missing, prompting him to go into the smoke-filled house to look for it.
“I heard a faint moan, a faint cry, and I went over there and found that baby,” he said.
Due to heavy smoke, he said his only option was to exit through a second-story window. Bostic smashed the glass with a punch and jumped with the 6-year-old in her arms. He suffered several injuries, but the girl only had a small cut on one foot.
Body camera footage of a police officer captured the moments after the escape, where Bostic can be seen illuminated by the burning house behind him as he walks toward emergency personnel with the girl in his arms.
In the video, a police officer holds the crying girl down while Bostic — shaken and panting, with a gash on his right arm and bloody clothing — sits on the sidewalk and says, “I need oxygen.”
After a police officer takes Bostic to a safer spot across the street, a tourniquet is applied to his arm as he lies on the grass. Bostic asks, “Is the baby okay? Please tell me she’s okay,” before someone off-camera assures her that the minor is fine.
“You did good mate,” an agent tells Bostic.
Bostic was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital and released two days later. He suffered smoke inhalation, in addition to the injury to his arm and other parts.
He said that he is not a hero, and that he only did what he would like someone else to do for him and his family if his house was on fire.
“It was worth it. I keep reminding myself that it was a small sacrifice. This pain is temporary…it was so worth it,” she told WLFI-TV.
A GoFundMe page to help Bostic pay his hospital and medical bills had raised more than $470,000 as of Sunday afternoon, far exceeding the $100,000 goal.
David Barrett, the father of the four brothers, told The Washington Post that his family feels “very blessed by what Nick did.”
“He is a true hero and my daughter is a true hero for waking up the children. I don’t like to think about what might have happened if Nick hadn’t shown up. I have no words to thank you,” she stated.
Lafayette Fire Investigation Chief Brian Alkire told the Lafayette Journal & Courier that the fire started on the front porch of the home, located about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Police said the fire is still under investigation.