An 10-year-old hero from Sprague is encouraging kids to learn about fire safety.
Lochlon Blatz's quick reaction to a smoke alarm at home saved his siblings and their home.
A plastic container on the stove had caught fire while their mom was mowing the lawn, and their dad was at work.
He recalls some tips he learned from the open house at the Steinbach Fire Hall.
“I really just knew, don’t freeze, calm down, and go tell mom. Because if you’re not calm, you're just going to panic, and then by the time you wait, you're too late.”
He instructed his siblings to go outside, and they followed him to tell their mom what was going on.
She then used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, and then called 911.
Lochlon’s dad, Justin Blatz, is encouraging parents to teach their children about fire safety, and to bring them to a fire hall open house.
“Which kid, or dad, doesn’t want to go into a fire truck? So, they actually took their activity books, wrote notes... they were engaged. I'm very proud of that too.”
With Lochlon’s quick actions, the house did not sustain any damage though it did need a good cleaning. Justin appreciates the help they received following the fire.
Also related to fire safety, Justin offers this piece of advice.
“With ovens, be careful for low knobs that your hip can bump into. No one played with the buttons or switches. What happens is sometimes when you're doing dishes or walking by, you can bump the button. So just make sure you have an oven for your needs, or we physically have had to take the knobs off so kids or we don't accidentally bump them.”
And when it comes to fire extinguishers, Blatz says it’s not enough to simply have them around. You also need to know how to use them.
(Photos below submitted by Justin Blatz)