An Indiana ‘superhero’ pizza delivery man who ran into a blazing building and saved five children has revealed that he was terrified while performing the act, but did it nonetheless.
When Nicholas Bostic, 25, entered the Lafayette home about midnight on July 11, he saw flames and smoke halfway up the stairs, but that didn’t stop him from putting his life at risk to save others.
At one point, the Good Samaritan expressed concern that he would not be able to reach Seionna Barrett, an 18-year-old who was guiding her three younger brothers and one of their friends, at the top of the steps.
Barrett and three of the children were taken to safety by the brave delivery man, who was trying to save as many lives as possible. However, Kaylani, also known as “Baby K,” Seionna’s younger sister, was still stranded in the fire upstairs.
Bostic overcame his fear when he heard Baby K crying and ran to her rescue.
‘When I saw the smoke, it was already halfway up the staircase. It scared me a lot, but then I started hearing Kaylani’s cries,’ Bostic told Fox News.
‘I doubled my shirt over and put my hands in front of me and with my ears wide open. I found her and I carried her snug fit in my arms up the stairs.’
‘And I did fall over the last step. We fell and we got back up,’ he added.
Bostic then jumped out of a window with Kaylani, breaking her fall with his body.
He met the family for the first time since the harrowing night at a church service on Saturday.
The children’s father, David Barrett, told his daughters’ rescuer he is now ‘officially part of the family.’
When he was assisted by paramedics outside of the burning structure, Bostic had only one concern in mind.
‘Is the baby ok?’ Bostic, who suffered severe smoke inhalation, asked first responders.
Bostic’s remarkable bravery has touched the heart of millions of Americans in awe of his selflessness.
After the story gained national attention, a GoFundMe to help the family replace their belongings and pay for Bostic’s medical care raised more than $470,000.
Bostic told Fox he had no training whatsoever in rescue techniques, but that he was an avid viewer of series such as Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Blue Bloods.
On July 11, Bostic saw the house completely consumed by a blazing fire when he was travelling through the neighbourhood.
He parked outside with the intention of dialling 911, but when he discovered he had forgotten his phone at home, he sped inside without thinking about his own safety.
Bostic claimed that through the smoke and flames, he was unable to see or hear anyone and was ready to turn around when he noticed the outline of a terrified teen leading a group of children down the stairs.
Through the fierce fire, he was able to save Seionna, Shaylee, 13, Kaleia, 1, and Shaylee’s friend Livian Knifley, 13. Then Seionna informed him that 6-year-old Kaylani was still inside.
‘I ran inside and looked under beds and closets, but I couldn’t find her,’ Bostic said. ‘But when I got to the stairs, I heard some faint crying.’
‘I thought, ”I don’t want to die here,” he said, but knew he was the only chance Baby K had of escaping alive.
Bostic grabbed the sobbing infant while holding his breath and carefully made his way back up the staircase. He was only able to make out a small rectangle of light coming from the rooms upstairs through the dense black smoke.
As soon as he got back upstairs, the brave pizza delivery man busted through a window, grabbed the girl by the left side, and sprang into the air, falling two storeys and stopping her fall with his own body.
Bostic fainted shortly after the spectacular rescue, having sustained burns to various portions of his body, smoke inhalation, and a large laceration on his arm from the window break and subsequent fall.
David and Tiera Barrett, the parents of the children, came to the scene after receiving a phone from Seionna informing them that their house was on fire. The cause of the fire is currently unknown and is being investigated. He was being taken to the hospital when they arrived.
Four of the five children meanwhile miraculously escaped with no injuries whatsoever – only Baby K sustained minor injuries from the fall and was treated by first responders at the scene.
‘We feel very blessed for what Nick did,’ their father told The Washington Post.
‘He’s a real hero, and my daughter’s a real hero for waking the kids up. I don’t like to think about what might have happened if Nick hadn’t shown up. I’m grateful beyond words.’
Meanwhile, Lafayette Police Department’s Lt. Randy Sherer said: ‘[Bostic’s] selflessness during this incident is inspiring. What he doesn’t understand is his actions weren’t ordinary, they were extraordinary.
‘He went down those stairs to save that little girl when he thought it was impossible just moments before… There’s only one way to define that: courageous and heroic.’
