ISSAQUAH, Wash. — “It was June 22. That day will be probably tattooed on all of our brains for quite some time,” says father Gordy Fields, recalling the day his family’s home of 20 years caught fire and burned down, taking almost everything they owned with it.
The family’s one silver lining is that everyone made it out safe, including the dog, thanks to the Fields’ 10-year-old son Dylan.
“It’s a custom-made award that I got from Eastside Fire,” says Dylan, showing off his brand-new Community Hero Award. Eastside Fire and Rescue presented Dylan with the inaugural award on Thursday after a speech recognizing his bravery.
When his house caught fire back in June, Dylan quickly jumped into action.
“Ever since I was able to walk my parents have been telling me the basic drills for like a house fire is to get out of the house immediately, but before I ran, I decided to grab my dog that was in like a kennel so I would have her too, and then after I got her, I ran out,” said Dylan.
According to Eastside Fire and Rescue, Dylan and his dad were getting ready to head to the swimming pool when the lights started to blink, and an electrical outlet sparked inside their home. Puget Sound Energy arrived and shut down the power, but after working on the electricity for some time, something triggered a large explosion inside the garage.
Hearing the explosion, some shouts, and some “crackle noises” from the kitchen, Dylan knew something was wrong. He unkenneled his dog, Sonic, and headed out the door and up the hill to the safe meeting point at the neighbors, just as he had practiced with his family and at school.
Gordy Fields remembers running up to their family’s “safe spot” to check on his son, and by the time he looked back to their home, the house had gone up in flames.
“It’s taking us a little time not only to get grounded again but also to move onto the next steps,” says Gordy Fields.
The family has to drive by the burnt remnants of their home, a grim reminder of what they lost, every day.
“It’s basically the remains of our house. It’s kind of hard to look at. But since they tore it down we don’t have to look at it anymore,” says Dylan.
As of Monday, the Fields family was finally able to start demolition. Perhaps the first step in reclaiming their home.
“It’s our chance to really truly start healing because we don’t have to look at what was and we can start looking forward to what will be,” Fields says.
Since the fire, the family has had an outpouring of support from their community. A GoFundMe was started to help the family land back on their feet.
“Granted, maybe a little rocky, but hey at least we’re upright. And the main thing was, all of us were safe,” said Fields.
When asked if Dylan felt like a hero, he said “Yeah, I feel like a hero,” before quickly pivoting to talk about Sonic the dog. Dylan says she’s doing good and is energetic, and it’s really fun to play with her.
Eastside Fire and Rescue were thrilled to honor Dylan with their first-ever Community Hero Award, saying, “Our hearts go out to the Fields family for the loss of their home, but we are thankful for their hero, Dylan, who remembered precisely what to do in a fire.”
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