“We’ve seen children alert their families before. But for a 5-year-old to be alert enough to do this … that’s pretty extraordinary.”

These are the words of wonder with which Dwayne Jamison, Bartow County Fire Chief, explained to CNN his assessment of Noah Wood.

Noah is a boy from the state of Georgia who woke up early on Sunday, February 9, to find his room burning.

The little 5-year-old was resolute. He took his 2-year-old sister to protect her from the fire and smoke and made her climb out of their shared bedroom window, which faces the street. It was the only safe way to get out, and—luckily—it’s located on the home’s ground floor.

Noah then went back to save the family dog, which was also in the room, and then went quickly to warn his uncle, who lives upstairs in a neighboring house.

Thanks to Noah’s action, all 8 family members (plus the dog) living in the house were safely rescued, and the firemen only had to treat Noah and four other people for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire, according to initial investigations, was an overloaded electrical outlet in the room where Noah slept.

“By the grace of God, all nine of our loved ones were able to get out of our home,” said Noah’s grandfather, David Woods, quoted by CNN. “If it wasn’t for Noah, we may not be here today.”

Honorary firefighter

Noah’s action has been described as heroic, so the Bartow County Fire Department gave the little boy the title of Honorary Bartow County Firefighter in an event that took place last week and was broadcast live on the fire department’s Facebook profile.

The Woods family’s home suffered major damage and they did not have home insurance, so they’ve launched a fundraising campaign organized by Noah’s grandfather David Woods. Many people have echoed this call and have already raised over $30,000 out of the needed $75,000.

Noah’s uncle Josh wrote, “My little Hero. So glad to say this little man is my nephew. If it wasn’t for him things could of been really bad today.”