AVENTURA, Fla. (WSVN) — A quick-thinking 11-year-old girl is being hailed a hero after she came to her family’s rescue when a fire broke out inside their Aventura apartment.
Sophia Meyers and her family may have lost all their belongings in Monday’s blaze, but she remains in good spirits, even comparing the charred remains of her condo to something out of a Salvador Dalí painting. “It looks like the painting of the melted clocks, and the mirror, one of the mirrors was melted,” she said.
Sophia said she was the first one to notice the fire that sparked in her unit, located in the 21200 block of Yacht Club Drive. Her mother, Lucy Myers, and her 17-year-old brother, were also inside the apartment at the time of the fire.
“I smelled smoke, so I went to go get my mom, ’cause she was inside the shower,” she said, “so I went to go get her out of the shower, and she told me, ‘Wait a few seconds. I’m washing my hair.'”
Sophia then tried to explain the severity of the situation. “I told her, ‘No, the smell is really bad, and I need you to get out,'” she said.
The 11-year-old then took matters into her own hands. “I went to get the fire extinguisher, too, from the kitchen, which was there for grease fires,” she said, “and I went to go open the door to see…”
Lucy then finished her daughter’s sentence. “On her own, because I didn’t even think of this fire extinguisher,” she said. “I was too busy calling 911.”
Sophia recalled dodging the flames. “We had to get out of the house very quickly, because the flames were, like, everywhere, and smoke was getting everywhere,” she said.
The family believes this was an electrical fire. They said they lost all their possessions in the blaze. “All my clothes, all my toys,” said Sophia.
Lucy tried to hold back tears as she hugged her daughter. “I’m just so proud of her. She really saved our lives. She really did,” she said.
The fire destroyed the family’s condo. They returned to the building on Friday, and got an unexpected surprise from the other residents. 7News cameras captured Sophia and her loved ones finding bags and boxes of gifts and supplies. In Spanish, a white sheet of paper read, “For: Sophia. Thank you!!”
Lucy burst into tears. “I’m so touched. I can’t believe this,” she said.
Sophia then opened her first bag to find a multicolored skirt.
Despite the loss, Lucy said, she and her family are feeling grateful. “I really could just harp on, ‘Why us?’ But we’re blessed, because we’re alive,” she said.
“Our family’s intact. That’s the most important thing,” said Sophia’s dad.
He then took his daughter in his arms. “This is my little angel,” he said,
“Yeah, she’s my hero,” said Lucy.
In addition to clothes and other items, neighbors also donated money to the family.
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