- Having just had COVID-19, Kayla and Nathan Dahl didn't smell the fire raging through their home as they slept.
- Their toddler came into their bedroom and said "mama, hot" – that's when they saw the flames.
- The two-year-old is now a local hero, getting handshakes and cake.
Two parents who had lost their sense of smell to COVID-19 couldn't smell the smoke from the fire blazing through their home. Their lives were saved by their two-year-old.
The Washington Post interviewed Kayla and Nathan Dahl, from Alvord, Texas, whose son Brandon woke them up by saying "mama, hot" — two of the only words the toddler knew.
Their smoke alarm had failed, and with the pair suffering from COVID-19 related anosmia, they thought the child needed his pajamas taken off — until they saw the flames.
After Brandon raised the alarm, the family, including five children, escaped their home before it burned to the ground.
"We were still recovering from COVID, so neither of us had our sense of taste and smell," Kayla told The Washington Post in an interview.
The parents told The Post about how Brandon managed to travel through the family living room — which was fully engulfed by flames — and make it through to his parents' room and warn them.
"It's a miracle from God that he was able to do that," Kayla told The Post.
Luckily, after Brandon altered his parents, the family was well equipped to get to safety. The Post explains that Brandon is a volunteer firefighter, and the family had planned fire exit routes and well-rehearsed fire drills. The entire family escaped safely.
Kayla called 911, but by the time the firefighters arrived, the blaze had taken hold of the family's home. The flames also engulfed their truck and car. The house burned to the ground.
The family is now staying with relatives until they can find a rental home. A friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family with their expenses, mainly clothes.
The family plans a party for Brandon to celebrate his heroism, surprising him with a "Baby Shark" cake.
The toddler has become somewhat of a local celebrity, the family told The Post, saying that he is receiving handshakes from strangers in public when they hear of his bravery.
While he may not understand exactly how good his deed was, he's reveling in all the attention, his mother told The Post.