Uncle left with third-degree burns after running
A Brave Rescue in Aberdeen
Derrick Byrd, 20, is being hailed a hero after charging into his burning family home in Aberdeen,
Washington, to save his 8-year-old niece, Mercedes.
Byrd suffered severe burns on his face, back, and arms during the rescue.
Racing Into the Flames
The fire broke out while seven family members were inside. Byrd caught his nephews,
Junior and Royce, as they leapt from a second-floor window.
But Mercedes, frightened after seeing her mother fall from the roof, refused to jump.
“I’d Rather Get Burnt”
Byrd sprinted back inside: “I could feel it burning me.
I got her and took my shirt off and put it around her face so she wouldn’t breathe in smoke and just carried her out.”
He later said, “Even though I got burnt, I really didn’t care. I’d rather get burnt than her.”
A Humble Hero
Despite praise, Byrd insisted: “I can’t say a hero.
I just wasn’t going to let them die.”
