North Carolina teen saves toddler

New American, The, June 9, 2008 by Warren Mass

Mobile-home residents have had a bad time of it lately, but, fortunately, heroes abound.

On the night of April 16, Blair Hawkins left her home in Cleveland County, North Carolina, to take her six-year-old child to the hospital. She left her year-old son, Aiden Moore, in the care of a group of friends and a relative, 14-year-old Laura McDaniel.

Without warning a fire, possibly caused by a clogged clothes-dryer vent, broke out in the mobile home. Laura, a Kings Mountain Middle School student, helped bring two children to safety but noticed that her little cousin, Aiden, was missing.

She ran back in through the back door of the smoke-filled home and grabbed Aiden from a playpen near the burning dryer just minutes before fire gutted the home.

Laura's stepmother, Jamie Black, described smoke and flames pouring from the living room. She told WSOCTV News (Charlotte, N.C.): "The trailer gone up so quick. When they said Aiden was inside, she took off, and we hollered for her and she didn't stop."

Because the mobile home and contents were a total loss, Laura's family invited Mrs. Hawkins and her family to stay with them until they find another home. Mr. Hawkins, who had taken a job in Louisiana, came home to check on the family after learning about the fire.

But Mrs. Hawkins places the incident in its proper context: "As long as I have my children I'll be all right. My home and all that can be replaced."

She also has understandably deep appreciation for Laura's role, telling the Shelby Star (Cleveland County, N.C): "In my eyes, if it wasn't for [Laura], my son wouldn't be here. If she would've stopped for a second to think about 'What could happen to me,' I might not have a son."