The schoolgirl was walking her dog when she saw smoke billowing out of an apartment window. Using her presence of mind, she handled it before it was too late.
Lily Swanson has made an entire community proud by quickly jumping into action after she noticed a strong burning smell. When she saw that residents living near her needed help, she rushed to do what she could to save them from an apartment fire, according to Good News Network.
On the day of the incident, Lily was outside walking her Rottweiler, Isobel, when she noticed the smell. Lily followed the smell and found black smoke coming out of the window of an apartment on Hough Lane in Leyland, UK.
"There were no flames at that point, but I could see people inside. I knew they needed help fast and I had to get home and call 999," Lily recalled, as quoted by Lancashire Evening Post.
Without wasting any time, Lily ran home, called the emergency services and told her dad, Mike Swanson.
Once Mike heard the news, they rushed back to the apartment to find that people were desperately trying to make their way out.
"We ran back outside and we could see people hanging out the window," Lily said. "It had only been a minute or two since I first saw the smoke but as we were running over to help them, one of the windows blew off and fell into the street."
"That’s when me and my dad saw the flames," Lily continued. "I told my dad we should try and get everyone out of the other window above the barber's next door. We opened the ladders and leaned them against the building and there were two or three people trying to climb out. They were desperate. But then the fire brigade showed up very quickly and took over. We couldn't believe how fast they got there."
Thankfully, everybody inside the building made it out safely, and Lily said that was "the best that could have happened."
So proud of my daughter @911onFOX #HERO https://t.co/bHzMxgBKsr
— Tess 🧣 (@tessieswanson) August 27, 2021
The happy ending was mainly the result of Lily having had the presence of mind to act before it was too late.
"We’d like to thank Lily for calling us so quickly after spotting the fire in the apartment," said Jonny Nottingham, the Leyland fire station manager. "We have seen in the past that people can have lots of different reactions to seeing a fire but Lily showed maturity and calmness beyond her years to quickly and effectively notify us."
Lily's father is also proud of the schoolgirl and mentioned how she was able to do the right thing, thanks to her obsession with the TV program.
"She's been obsessed with this TV programme on Disney+ called '9-1-1'. It's about emergency services in America who deal with things like this," Mike said. "Then this happened practically on our doorstep and she handled it brilliantly. I'm very proud."
When being a part of the 911 fandom comes in handy!!! Yes Queen!!
— Mychelle (@thelovely_mj) August 27, 2021
Both Mike and Lily were present at the scene until everybody made it safely out of the building.
"It was a proud dad moment for me, as it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for Lily's quick response," Mike added.
Currently, investigations are underway to find out what caused the apartment fire.
References:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/hero-schoolgirl-fire-lancashire-lily-swanson/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Alan Schein
