Elizabeth Perez, 29, from Pennsylvania, U.S.A. is currently being hailed a hero for attempting to rescue her two-year-old son from their burning home while she was 8 months pregnant.
CBS News reports that the fire started at around 3:45 a.m. on January 8 in the home Elizabeth shares with her 2-year-old son in the Fairhill neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Authorities discovered that, at first, a family member tried to fight the fire alone and that the blaze had spread throughout the home in about 53 seconds. It took firefighters over an hour to get the fire under control.
Elizabeth had been able to escape the burning home but reportedly ran back inside when she realized that her 2-year-old son Nathaniel was missing.
Firefighters found her holding her son near a second-floor doorway. Thick smoke and flames prevented them from escaping the blaze.
"It's not a pretty sight, her holding her child in her arms trying to get back out. She was desperately trying to get out," Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer told NBC Philadelphia.
What caused the fire is still unknown but so far what the investigation has revealed is that the home has no functioning smoke detectors.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but officials revealed the home had no working smoke detectors and it is suspected that one of the house's five heaters caught fire, along with a nearby blanket, which could have caused the fire to spread.
According to Philly.com, Elizabeth was getting ready to give birth to her baby daughter in just a few days. A cousin of hers, who chose to remain anonymous, described her as someone who was "always helping others".
Tragedies such as this are sadly unavoidable at time but it is important to make sure to know fire safety tips and to make sure that home safety escape plans are place at all times for the safety and peace of mind of our loved ones.
In case of a fire, remember these four simple things:
1. Get out and call for help
Aside from asking the help of neighbors, you can also call the national emergency hotline 117. It's also important to note the hotline of the fire station nearest to your home.
2. When you spot smoke, stay low.
Most of the time, the cause of death when there is a fire is smoke inhalation. Do your best not to inhale smoke in case of a fire. Crawl to the nearest exit.
3. If a doorknob is warm, keep it closed.
Use the second exit, or if you are trapped, place a wet towel under the door. Wave a brightly-colored cloth or use a flashlight to signal for help from an open window.
4. Stop, drop and roll.
If your clothes catch on fire, don't panic. Drop to the ground and roll your entire body until the flames go out.
5. Wrap yourself in a soaked blanket.
In the event that you must charged into a fire, make sure to wrap yourself in a thick, wet blanket and move through it quickly. This will help repel the fires from setting your clothes on fire.
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