An 8-year-old girl is being praised for her quick thinking after she extinguished a fire at her grandparents’ home Friday before firefighters arrived.
The Greenville Fire Department said crews were dispatched Aug. 15 to a reported house fire at a single-story brick home. When units arrived, light smoke was showing, but the fire had already been put out.
Firefighters learned that the blaze had been extinguished by 8-year-old De’Meria Thomas. She told officials that her younger brother alerted her to the fire, and she used a fire extinguisher with the P.A.S.S. method — pull the pin, aim the hose, squeeze the trigger and sweep at the base of the fire.
No one was injured in the incident, and all occupants had safely exited the home. Fire officials credited Thomas’ actions and fire prevention education for preventing serious damage.
The department said it plans to invite Thomas to attend its Kids Academy in June 2026 at no cost.
“Greenville firefighters are so proud of this young lady for protecting her family and home until professional firefighters arrived,” the department said in a statement.