Douglasville Siblings Honored For Saving Family From Burning Home

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — An 11-year-old boy and his 14-year-old big sister were honored Thursday by Douglas County’s fire chief for helping save their family from a devastating July 4 house fire.

Calil Gillis, 11, received a Fire Chief’s Citizen’s Award from Chief Roderick Jolivette, and Takia Gillis, 14, received a Certificate of Appreciation.

“Fire safety education serves as a priority for my command staff, and that’s a big reason we wanted to honor, recognize and celebrate the actions of Calil and Takia,” Jolivette said. “Though the structure was a total loss, lives were not ad we are grateful to acknowledge that.”

Douglas County firefighters responded the morning of July 4 to find a single-family home on Greenbrook Drive half engulfed in flames. Five occupants of the home — aged 6, 8, 9, 11 and 14 — managed to evacuate uninjured before firefighters arrived

As it turned out, the house had working smoke alarms at the time of the fire. Investigators later learned the fire was first discovered by Calil, who in turn notified Takia, and the two both hurried to get the family out of the burning house.

The home was a total loss, with damage estimated at $120,000. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause.

RELATED: 11-Year-Old Leads Siblings To Safety From Douglasville House Fire

Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Chief Jolivette in a headline as chief of the Douglasville Fire Department. Patch apologizes for the error.