8-Year-Old Girl Saves Family from Tompkins Ave Fire

An 8-year-old girl woke up her sleeping grandmother and sister-in-law, saving them from their burning apartment Saturday afternoon.

“If it wasn’t for Naya they would have died. She got everybody out,” said Shnequia Purvis, the girl’s mother, adding, "When she went in, the fire was already bursting out of the windows.”

“It smelled like smoke so I went back and banged on my grandmother’s door and on Jennifer’s door,” said Naya, whose full name is Shnaiya.

The fire broke out in the back room of the ground floor apartment of 99 Tompkins Avenue shortly before 1:12 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said. It was under control at 1:53 p.m. The eight-story building, at the corner of Myrtle is part of Tompkins Houses.

The girl’s grandmother was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and high blood pressure, Purvis said.  

In all, two people were taken to Woodhull Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and a third was treated on the scene according to the FDNY.

According to Purvis, the fire did severe damage to the apartment. “The whole back is destroyed,” she said.

But right now her overwhelming feeling is gratitude, she said.

“I’m so thankful," she said.

In addition, Shnaiya's grandmother’s cat died trying to save her three kittens, Shnaiya noted. The kittens were saved by the firefighters, she said.