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A 12-year-old Orem Boy Scout may not have his lifesaving merit badge yet, but there is a good chance he's done something most Scouts haven't: saved a life. He is getting credit for rescuing his baby sister from their home after it caught fire.
The first reaction for most adults when they hear a smoke detector sound is to go find the smoke, but Garrek Lott says, as a Boy Scout, he learned the first thing you do is get everyone out of the house. But when the smoke alarms inside his home started blaring on Saturday, Garrek's Scout training came to mind.
"Save the people, not the things you love in the house," Garrek said.
Despite all the commotion, the first place Garrek went was down the hall to where his 1-year-old sister was sleeping in her crib.
"I went and grabbed my baby sister and brought her outside and gave her to my younger sister and told her to take her to the neighbor's house, and then I went back inside and told everyone to get out.
Even with a quick response from Orem firefighters, the Lott home sustained major damage. Investigators believe was caused by an overloaded extension cord.
Garrek's parents were running an errand when the fire started, and they couldn't be prouder of him. "He's been told over and over to take care of his sisters, and he did just that," his mom, Jalene, said.
Even though their home is a total loss, the Lotts are still looking at the bright side. "We're really grateful for all of the love and support that has been shown our family. It's been overwhelming; friends, family, my husband's company. We couldn't ask for more," Jalene said.
Garrek, who has five sisters, has this advice for other kids if they ever hear the smoke alarm in their home. "The first thing you do is get the kids out, mainly the baby, if there is a baby in the house, and then get the kids out first, and then do what you have to do after that," he said.
Garrek says the only property in the house he was really worried about was his new, autographed BYU football, which was later recovered. It didn't burn up, but has a lot of smoke damage.
Fire investigators estimate damages to the home at around $200,000.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
