Adonis Bell saved the lives of his family early Wednesday morning when a fire broke out in his grandma’s Roselind two-flat.
At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, the 11-year-old woke up when a fan started pushing heavy black smoke into the room where he slept.
He was the only one in his grandma’s Roseland two-flat to notice.
Barefoot in a tank top and jogging pants, Adonis went to the kitchen where he saw the ceiling on fire near his bedroom — billowing black smoke and orange flames that were gnawing a giant hole above the kitchen stove.
The boy remained calm.
“I knew what to do,” Adonis said. “A fireman came to our school.”
He ran to wake his mother, who told him to get his 2-year-old godsister, Jordan Hobbs, out of the house.
That’s what the fireman at school said, too. “Get myself and everybody out. He told us not to grab any stuff,” Adonis remembered. “Just get out.”
Firefighters tell us every second counts in a structure fire. I saw a controlled demonstration of such a fire once in Park Forest. The flames grew tall and hot very fast.
Quick thinking, Mr. Bell. Kudos to you, sir. You saved the lives of every member of your family in the house that night.
Mayor Daley, this young man deserves official recognition from your office. He’s one of Chicago’s finest.