Young hero

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 21, 2006 by ANSLEE WILLETT THE GAZETTE

Little Michael Eilert did a big thing.

When a candle sparked a fire in his family's west-side Colorado Springs home in November, the kindergartner ran outside to yell for help.

The fire trapped his mom in her bedroom, and his 2-year-old sister was inside the home.

A passer-by called 911 to report the Nov. 19 fire in the 2400 block of Dale Street.

Michael, who turned 6 in December, was given a 911 Hero Award on Friday at his school, Whittier Elementary, for his quick thinking that day.

His mom was burned on 47 percent of her body and is in a drug- induced coma at University of Colorado Hospital in Denver. Her left leg was so badly burned it was amputated below the knee.

"It could have been a lot worse -- way worse," said Michael's dad, Phil Eilert.

Michael and his sister, Morgan, weren't injured.

Colorado Springs firefighters and Connie Chavez with the El Paso- Teller County E-911 dispatch system presented Michael with a medal, certificate and framed plaque in front of his classmates.

"You did what you were supposed to do," Chavez told him. "You got out and you stayed out."

Michael learned about fire safety at school in October during Fire Prevention Week. He toured a fire station after that during a field trip.

His mom, Heather, apparently knocked over the candle while having a diabetic low, Phil Eilert said. Michael heard the smoke alarm and ran for help.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes. Phil Eilert was at work.

Heather Eilert was conscious for a few days after the fire, but doctors induced a coma when she got pneumonia, her husband said. Michael and Morgan haven't been able to see her because children aren't allowed to visit the burn unit.

Asked if he knows what a hero is, Michael shook his head no.

"He's definitely my hero," his dad said. "I thank you with all of my heart, buddy. You saved Mama. You saved Morgan. You saved yourself."