CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – An 11-year-old boy saved his four young siblings early Sunday evening when their family’s house went up in flames.
He got three of his siblings out of the house on Rafiki Drive, told his 8-year-old sister to call 911, and then ran back into the burning house to get his 2-year-old brother, who was sleeping in a back bedroom.
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The Sims siblings in 2019. (Hannah Sims, contributed)‘There’s a fire’
Before the fire started, Brody Sims, 11, was home watching his four younger siblings while their mother went down the street to let their grandparents’ dogs out.
“My parents were out of town, so we had to run down the street and let their dogs out,” Kimberly Sims, the children’s mother, told Clarksville Now.
The kids would have gone with them, but one of them wasn’t feeling well.
“I was like, ‘We’ll be right back,’ and Brody has been trained in first aid, he knows how to do basic CPR,” Kimberly continued. “We love cop shows, and we’re very into safety … so it was very important to us for them to know what to do,” Kimberly said.
Kimberly graduates from nursing school next week, and the children’s father is a 100% disabled Army veteran.
“We left for five minutes, and I get a phone call saying, ‘There’s a fire, there’s a fire,’” Kimberly said.
Her parents’ house is near the closest fire station, so Kimberly said they followed the station’s fire trucks back to their home.
The fire’s damage to the back of the Sims’ home on Dec. 5, 2021. (Clarksville Fire Rescue, contributed)Sibling teamwork
The fire appears to have started in the kitchen.
“My little sister went into the kitchen and she screamed, ‘Fire!’ and ran out of the house,” Brody told Clarksville Now. “I looked and I started yelling for my brother’s name who was in my mom and dad’s room, and then I had to get my other brother.”
Brody went back into the house, running past the flames to get to his 2-year-old brother, who was sleeping a back bedroom.
“I had to get him by his hands and feet.”
After making sure everyone was outside, Brody again went back in the home to see if he could put the fire out. Meanwhile, his little sister called 911.
“Brody got everybody out of the house and when he went back in to try and put the fire out, he told me to call 911,” 8-year-old Sydney told Clarksville Now.
Sydney told the dispatcher where the family’s home was, who was home at the time and about the family’s two missing cats.
According to Clarksville Fire Rescue, crews responded at 4:23 p.m. The first unit arrived to heavy smoke and flames, but the fire was quickly brought under control.
“We were there within two minutes of it happening, and the house just went up really fast,” Kimberly said, adding that they have since found their cats.
Investigators are still working to determine the cause.
Brody Sims. (Kimberly Sims, contributed)Hero big brother
The displaced family of seven is now staying at the grandparents’ house.
“I know everything will be OK,” Kimberly said. “I’m just glad no one was hurt and we have our animals.”
Brody’s aunt, Hannah Sims, reached out to Clarksville Now to share her nephew’s story. “He really was a hero to his siblings,” Hannah said.
She said the house was a total loss.
“Everything in their house is destroyed; if it’s not from fire damage, it’s from smoke damage,” Hannah said.
That includes the kids’ toys and clothes, photos, laptops and awards the children’s father received while in the U.S. Army.
Hannah has set up a GoFundMe for the family.
“Big brother was a hero, and we’re just trying to give them some money for Christmas,” she said.
Clarksville Fire also said the TN River Chapter of the American Red Cross responded and is assisting the family.