Four teenagers from Sapulpa, Oklahoma are being praised for rushing to a 90-year-old woman’s aid after she got trapped inside her burning home.

Had they not been in the right place at the right time, Catherine Ritchie probably wouldn’t be alive today.

The senior, who had lived in the home for 58 years, was in the bathroom preparing to get ready for bed at around 9pm.

That’s when she noticed that the head of her bed was engulfed in flames.
In an open letter of thanks to the heroes who came to the rescue, Catherine’s daughter, Missy Nichols, wrote on her blog that her mom “made an attempt to extinguish the flames herself by throwing blankets and pillows on the fire.”

The grandmother decided to flee after the heat and smoke became too overwhelming.

But, in all the confusion she became disoriented and didn’t make it very far.

“She walked into the closet several times thinking it was the door that leads to the hallway,” Missy wrote. “It wasn’t. She couldn’t find her way out. She was stuck. Smoke everywhere.”

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News

While Catherine was busy frantically pressing the emergency call button on her necklace, the boys, who ranged in age from 14 to 17, saw the flames from across the street.

Jumping into action was a team effort – one of the boys broke the glass on the front door and called 911, while another kicked in the back door.
A third teen quickly scrambled over to a neighbor’s house to grab an ax.

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News

“Within minutes, a door was kicked in by a 14-year-old child who found my mother in the hallway outside of her bedroom and picked her up in his arms,” Missy said on her blog.

“Kids who are told about all the things they aren’t old enough to do saved the life of the most precious and beloved woman we know.”

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News

Choking back tears, Catherine told CBS News that “the smoke was so bad I couldn’t see to get out of my room.”
Thankfully, fourteen-year-old Nick Bird, the youngest of the bunch, found Catherine in the hallway and he immediately scooped her up, just like a true hero!

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News
Nick carried the elderly grandmother to safety, while the other three boys also made it out of the burning home unharmed.

Firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames, but the real hero work had already been done.

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News

Missy continued to praise these brave boys, who were identified as 17-year-old Wyatt Hall, 16-year-old Seth Byrd, 16-year-old Dylan Wick, and 14-year-old Nick Byrd.

“Young men who risked their own lives, their own safety, perhaps their good standing with their parents who might have chosen for them to do otherwise.”

Source: YouTube – WTAJ News
Thanks to the courage and quick thinking of these fine young men, this grandmother made it out alive.

It’s also made a lasting impact on the teens, with Wyatt Hall mentioning, “Ever since that night, my life has just changed … for the better.”

Watch the video below to find out more about their selfless act of bravery.
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