Despite still learning to speak, Brandon Dahl has already become a hero to many.
One night, while the rest of his family was asleep, Brandon woke up and noticed a rapidly spreading fire in their living room where he was resting. He was sleeping there because he had been unwell, and his parents wanted him close to their room so they could keep an eye on him.
Although fierce flames surrounded him, this brave young boy went to his parent’s room to alert them something was wrong.
“He tapped my feet in bed while coughing and said, ‘Mama, it’s hot.’ ‘Mama, you’re hot,’” his mother, Kayla Dahl, explained “I walked around the corner and only then noticed the flames at the doorway.”
Their fire alarm didn’t activate until it was too late, despite having had a new detector installed just a year earlier. Additionally, both of the toddler’s parents, Kayla and Nathan Dahl, were still experiencing loss of taste and smell from their recent bout with COVID-19.
Kayla began shouting “fire,” which woke Nathan from his sleep. As a volunteer firefighter, he initially planned to save both his family and their home. However, upon seeing that the flames had already reached 6 feet high, he realized his approach needed to change.
“I felt a heavy weight in my chest,” he continued. “I had a strong instinct that the house was going to be destroyed. I thought, ‘We need to get out now.'”
Within a minute, they had left the house and reached their neighbor’s yard across the street, a move they had practiced with their children several times before.
While waiting for the firefighters to arrive, Nathan turned off the gas supply to their home from the outside to minimize the risk of an explosion inside the house. However, as the winds picked up, he worried that they would face a new problem.
“I walked over to Kayla, who was on the phone with 911, and said to her, ‘Look, we are close to having multiple buildings catch fire,'” he explained.
Fortunately, nine different fire companies and an emergency medical services department arrived at the scene within minutes, stopping the fire from spreading to other houses or businesses. Sadly, it was too late to save anything at the Dahl’s residence.
Everything they owned was destroyed, except for the clothes they had on at the time. This included both of their cars.
“You hear people talk about losing everything,” Kayla said. “But it’s not until you go through it yourself that you truly understand what that means.”
As the Dahl family works to rebuild their lives, they are grateful for not having to do it alone. They have received widespread support from the community and countless messages from strangers after sharing their experiences online.
Their journey is far from over, but they are taking it one day at a time. For now, they are renting a house, but they hope to eventually redevelop the site of their former home.
As for their material possessions, their friend Chelsea Malson has been a tremendous help. She set up a GoFundMe account for them, which has raised over $29,000.
Kayla said, “We never expected even half of the support we’ve received. We’re incredibly grateful.”
When the Dahl family reflects on that terrible night, they still can’t believe they wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for their 2-year-old son.
“I’m incredibly thankful to God that we’re still alive,” Nathan said. “He saved our family from certain death. From my point of view, there’s no doubt about it.”
“Brandon had a guardian angel helping him get out of that living room,” Kayla continued. “It’s truly a miracle, to say the least. It’s nothing short of miraculous.”
