For someone who’s 11 years old, Trinity Jones is apparently a very alert morning person.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 she awoke and saw a glow outside her window. In a matter of seconds, she checked on her siblings and woke up her mom, setting off a chain of events that “resulted in the saving of three homes and at least two lives,” according to Peachtree City Fire Marshal David Williamson.
The glow was from a fire at the next door neighbor’s house on Grenoble, and 911 was called to summon firefighters while another adult went to alert the two neighbors in the home, who were completely unaware of the fire that threatened to consume their home.
It’s thought that the occupants of the home might not have known about the fire until their ceiling caved in, Williamson said. An adult inside was awake and using the computer but didn’t know about the fire, he added.
“There was no smoke inside the house,” Williamson said.
Thanks to a recent “safety day” presentation at Booth Middle School, hosted by the Peachtree City fire and police departments, Trinity knew how to respond when she first spotted the fire. She got an adult.
In fact, Trinity’s first instinct after seeing the glow was to check on her little brother and sister. She initially thought it was her house on fire.
“I did not know what was going on until I looked out the window a second time,” Trinity said. “Then I ran downstairs and told my mother the house was on fire and she told me to go grab her cellphone and call 911.”
At one point before the firefighters could get to work, the flames got extremely close to Trinity’s house as relatives used a garden hose to try and keep the fire at bay.
“We are here tonight to honor Trinity and thank her for her actions in being alert and choosing to get involved,” Williamson said minutes before she got a standing ovation from the audience.
Trinity was presented with a proclamation from the city and also a large fire extinguisher to keep at her home. She also received a bouquet of flowers from a friend.
Trinity said she was glad she spotted the fire, because the homes in her neighborhood are so close together the flames could have caused some significant destruction.
While the neighbors’ home sustained about $70,000 in damage, and despite the fact the fire “got a head start” on the fire department, firefighters were able to put out the flames and salvage most of the personal contents of the home, officials said.
