LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lafayette police and firefighters are recognizing a 25-year-old man for his heroic actions in saving five kids from a burning home early Monday morning.
Around 12:30 a.m. on July 11, the Lafayette Police Department and Lafayette Fire Department got reports of a house fire in the 2200 block of Union Street, near North 26th Street.
The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, preventing crews from going inside after learning a 6-year-old could still be inside the home.
At 12:36 a.m., a man, who went in the home before firefighters arrived, jumped through a second-story window and landed on the ground with the 6-year-old who was trapped inside.
The man, later identified as 25-year-old Nicholas Bostic, of Lafayette, was seriously injured in the incident, suffering from severe smoke inhalation and a cut on his right arm. Bostic was flown to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment.
Police said the 6-year-old child was "miraculously mostly uninjured."
On Wednesday, Bostic spoke with police to share what happened prior to their arrival.
Bostic told police he was driving by the home when he saw it was on fire. Bostic said he stopped in the road, put his car in reverse, turned around and pulled into the driveway.
Knowing he had to act, Bostic said he ran around the back of the home and went inside, yelling to try to alert anyone that could be inside the burning home.
Bostic said nobody answered his call, possibly meaning everyone had already gotten out. Instead of taking that chance, Bostic said he went in and went up the stairs, where he found four kids, ranging in age from 1 to 18.
Bostic told police he helped the four kids escape from the burning home. Once they were outside, Bostic said he found out a 6-year-old could still be inside.
Without hesitation, Bostic said he ran back inside the burning home. After coming up empty during a search upstairs, he was about to exit the house through a window when he heard a child's cry coming from downstairs.
Bostic said he then wrapped his shirt around his mouth and nose before going through the smoke and fire. Bostic told police he couldn't see anything in front of him and said the heat from the fire made it seem as if he was walking into an oven.
Crawling on the ground, Bostic was able to locate the 6-year-old girl and took her upstairs. Then, Bostic said he broke a window by punching it with his hand to get out of the burning home.
Bostic said the child's leg got tangled in the string on the blinds as they were about to jump out of the window. Bostic told police he calmed himself down, untangled the string and jumped from the window — making sure he didn't land on the side where he was holding the child.
"Nicholas Bostic's heroic actions saved lives. His selflessness during this incident is inspiring, and he has impressed many with his courage, tenacity, and steadfast calmness in the face of such perilous danger," the Lafayette Police Department said in a statement.
Bostic will be honored Aug. 2 during "National Night Out" at the Lafayette Aviators baseball game.
Attendees can save $2 on tickets with the promo code FUND2022, and $4 of each ticket price will be donated to Bostic's GoFundMe page.
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