A Texas teenager pulled her family to safety after a blazing fire engulfed their Waco, Texas, home.
Every member of the Rivera family except Bianca had suffered from COVID-19 and lost their sense of smell, so they did not realize their house was on fire. The courageous teen bravely evacuated her 3 family members and their 4 dogs, according to CNN.
"I don't really count myself as a hero," she said. "I just did what anyone else would do for their own family. I just wanted to get everyone out safe and alive."
According to reports, the fire broke out at 2 a.m. Friday and destroyed the one-story home.
"This family is lucky to be alive," the Waco Fire Department said on Twitter, adding a reminder everyone should have smoke alarms in their homes.
A recent study of olfactory dysfunction in 2,500 COVID-19 patients taken in 18 European hospitals found a whopping 86% of people with mild cases of the disease lose their sense of smell, but usually recover it within 6 months. Anosmia, which is the medical term for losing your sense of smell, is considered to be an early warning sign of COVID-19.
Bianca woke up to the smell of plastic and after waking her family, directed them out the back door. She then went back into the blazing home to rescue her pets.
"It didn't matter to me if I was going to get hurt, or I was going to get burned, as long as I got them out safe and sound, I was going to be fine," she said, according to CNN.
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