Downers Grove Teen Overcomes Fear, Disability to Save Family from Fire

Communicating is sometimes difficult for 14-year-old Brendon Harrison, a Downers Grove South student who suffers from autism. 

Early Sunday morning, however, Brendon's bravery and quick thinking saved his family from a potentially life-threatening situation.

Around 1:20 a.m.—while his parents, sister and dog were sound asleep in their rooms—Brendon was woken by the sound of crackling in the kitchen, which turned out to be the sounds of a burning humidifier.

"He usually gets freaked out by loud noises like that, so I think he knew something was wrong downstairs," said Wendy Harrison, Brendon's mom.

"He came to my room, and just kept yelling, 'Mom! Mom!'" Wendy said. "Initially I told him to go back to bed, because I was half-asleep myself. When I finally asked him what he wanted, he just kept replying, 'What is it? What is it?"

Realizing something was wrong, Wendy got out of bed to check on her son. When she opened her bedroom door, she noticed a large, orange glare coming from downstairs.

"I saw that bright light, and I knew it was a fire," Wendy said. "Thankfully Brendon heard what was going on and was able to wake us up in time to get everyone out."

Because they caught the fire early, Wendy's husband was able to move the humidifier outside before the kitchen or living room sustained any substantial damage. With the exception of a small, burnt area on the floor, things appeared just as they did before.

"(Brendon) alerted the family so early on that the humidifier didn't even generate enough smoke to activate the detectors," said Marsha Giesler, public education officer for the Downers Grove Fire Department.

Outside the Harrisons' home, firefighters praised Brendon for his bravery, Giesler said.

Fire officials determined that the incident was not an electrical fire, but rather burning plastic. The humidifier tripped a fuse, de-energized the equipment and ultimate caused a superficial burn, authorities said.

"Regardless of the type of fire, this is a good lesson for kids to alert their parents of the situation immediately and exit the home," Giesler said. "Brendon did everything perfectly." 

Wendy said she was particularly impressed with her son's actions considering that he's usually scared of fire and fire alarms. Had the smoke alarm been activated, it might have scared Brendon, she said.

"He was surprisingly calm," she said. "My daughter was scared, but Brendon just stood outside, waving his NASCAR flag and talking to firefighters. Now he actually wants to visit the firehouse, which is incredible."

Although the fire turned out to be relatively minor, the incident could have easily escalated to something more serious, Wendy said.

"Brendon could have gone back to sleep or ignored the noises, but instead he let us know what was going on and we were able to take immediate action," Wendy said. "He's definitely a hero in our eyes."

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