A man from Washington is being called a hero after he ran into a burning house to save his eight-year-old niece.
According to reports, 20-year-old Derrick Byrd suffered second and third-degree burns on his face, back, and arms after rushing into the house when he realized his niece was trapped inside.
Speaking to KOMO-TV, Byrd said: “Even though I got burnt, I didn’t really care. I’d rather get burnt than her. She’s young and still has so much ahead of her. She’s a good kid.”
The fire broke out in a home in Aberdeen, Washington, while Derrick Byrd and six other family members were inside, including his sister Kayla and her three children.
When the fire spread, Byrd helped his nephews, Junior and Royce, jump out of a second-story window to safety. However, his eight-year-old niece Mercedes was too scared to jump after watching her mother, Kayla, fall from the roof.
Without hesitating, Byrd ran back into the burning house to save Mercedes. He quickly felt the flames burning him.
“I could feel it burning me,” he said.
Byrd wrapped his shirt around Mercedes’ face to protect her from the smoke and carried her out of the house as fast as he could.
Despite suffering burns, Byrd said he’d do it all again if needed.
“I’d run back in there and do it again, even if I got burnt worse or died,” he said.
When people called him a hero, Byrd humbly responded, “I wouldn’t say I’m a hero. I just wasn’t going to let my niece and nephews die.”
The Sprouse Twins today: Inside their life now, at 30
Dylan and Cole Sprouse captured our hearts over 25 years ago as the adorable twins in *Big Daddy* with Adam Sandler. Now grown men, the brothers aren’t as inseparable as before but remain very close.
Born in 1992, the blonde twins started acting as babies, sharing roles in commercials and TV shows. They gained attention in *Grace Under Fire* as Patrick Kelly from 1993 to 1998. Their breakout role came in *Big Daddy* (1999), where they charmed audiences with their witty performances.
Cole recalled working with Sandler, telling *People* in 2022, “He strikes a very, really good balance between art and business,” and admired how Sandler “raises up all of his friends.”
In 2000, Cole briefly split from Dylan to star as Ross’s son Ben on *Friends*, where he developed a crush on Jennifer Aniston. He admitted, “I’m fairly sure I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston” and often felt intimidated on set.
Today, Cole stars as Jughead in *Riverdale* and is dating model Ari Fournier, while Dylan co-founded All-Wise Meadery and is engaged to model Barbara Palvin.
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