7-year-old Porter Ranch boy credited for alerting neighbors to evacuate during Saddleridge Fire

Leanne Suter Image
Monday, October 14, 2019
7-year-old alerts neighbors to evacuate during Saddleridge Fire
A 7-year-old boy in Porter Ranch is receiving praise for his quick-thinking actions after he alerted his neighbors when the Saddleridge Fire erupted.

PORTER RANCH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 7-year-old boy in Porter Ranch is receiving praise for his quick-thinking actions after he alerted his neighbors when the Saddleridge Fire erupted.

When Nathan Wang and his family was suddenly forced to flee their Porter Ranch home in the middle of the night due to the fast-moving brush fire, Nathan's first concern was for Liam, his best friend who lives next door.

"My mom woke me up, and then I jumped up out of my bed, put on my clothes, then I went out to tell my neighbors there's a fire," Nathan said.

"I was just afraid the fire would get to them," he added.

Monica Xu, Nathan's mother, said the second grader's fast thinking woke Liam and his family, who were unaware of the sudden order to evacuate.

"He jumped up, put on his clothes and screamed, 'Liam! Liam!', his best friend's name and ran to the neighbor's to ring their doorbell," Xu said.

Nathan found a note from Liam's family on his front door when he returned home.

"Thank you from the bottom of (our) hearts for making sure we woke up and evacuated before the fire got even closer We will forever be grateful. We hope that you are all safe and can't wait to see you all soon," the note read.

Nathan also found some of the hero firefighters in his neighborhood when he returned and personally thanked them with the best things he could offer: treats and Pokémon cards.