25-year-old Man Races Into Burning Home, Saves 5 Children

A Lafayette, Indiana man quickly sprung into action to save five children from a burning house after it went up in flames early Monday morning.

A camera worn by a police officer arriving on the scene captured the moment Nicholas Bostic, 25, was running out of the home while carrying a 6-year-old child to safety.

Bostic told police he was driving by the home when he saw it was on fire, according to NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis. He pulled over and ran inside the house, where he found four children, ranging in ages 1 to 18.

Bostic told police he helped them escape, only to discover there may have been a 6-year-old still inside, prompting him to go back into the home. He said he heard a child crying and found a girl downstairs. He brought her to the second floor, where he broke a window and jumped out, managing to free the girl’s leg after it got stuck on some blinds, the station reported.

“Nicholas Bostic’s heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness during this incident is inspiring, and he has impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous danger,” the Lafayette Police Department said in a statement, according to WTHR.

While the children were not hurt, Bostic suffered severe smoke inhalation and a cut on his arm. He will be honored next month during National Night Out at a Lafayette Aviators minor league baseball game.

Bostic’s actions come on the heels of another good Samaritan saving a family from a house fire. Earlier this month, Haily Strong pulled over her car and rang the doorbell of a home in Fairfield, Ohio, to alert a family of 11 their garage was on fire.

“That’s an angel,” Josh Ellis said of Strong’s actions in helping his family. “She saved our family, no exaggeration about that. She stayed and she saved our family. I mean, the house was ablaze.”