An Aussie teenager has been hailed as a hero after running into a burning house near Newcastle to save a young girl, injuring himself in the process.
Mace Jefferson, 16, was walking home on from TAFE on Northcote Avenue at Swansea Heads at about 1.30pm on Thursday when he saw the five-year-old girl looking out of the window of the raging house fire.
The teen kicked a window in and was able to save the girl, but almost severed his Achilles tendon in the process and was taken to hospital for surgery.
A 37-year-old man also forced his way through the front door and helped save the girl and an 87-year-old woman, but a second five-year-old girl was unable to be rescued and died in the blaze.
Friend Hayley Carmody, who has started a GoFundMe for Mace, said the heroic teenager “saw this little girl looking at him in the window” and sprang into action.
“He didn’t hesitate, kicked the window through,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
“His friend had to get the little girl because Mace was injured, blood was going everywhere and eventually the firefighters arrived.
“He’s so brave, he wasn’t thinking about himself, he just saw that little girl and knew he needed to help. Mace is not like any stereotypical 16-year-old boy, he has such a kind heart, very genuine and loving towards his family and friends, he rarely thinks about himself especially in those situations.”
In the online fundraiser she wrote that Mace was now facing a long recovery and “will be unable to live his normal life, return to work as a carpenter apprentice and experience the exciting things like getting his Ps shortly”.
Lake Macquarie Police District Acting Superintendent Lisa Jones praised Mace’s bravery after the fire.
“[It was] a very selfless act by that young person and it shows the community spirit to come and try and help,” she said.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and NSW Fire and Rescue acting area commander for metropolitan North Jarrod King said it was a “complex scene”.
Header image: Left, Mace Jefferson (GoFundMe). Right, emergency services rushing to the scene (Newcastle Herald).
