An aspiring rapper is being hailed as a hero after he saved the lives of four people by alerting them to flames that engulfed their home as they slept in Iowa on October 23.
According to KCRA, Brandon Birt, who goes by the moniker Blase 96 in his music career, was in Red Oak Township when he stumbled upon a house. He told the station: “I just felt someone was there because it was so late at night.”
The homeowner, Tender Lehman, was in Montana due to a family emergency when the fire occurred. Her three children and their 22-year-old brother, Bryce Harrison, were asleep on the fateful night.
The three younger children were under the care of their brother while Lehman was away. The children are 17, 14 and 8 years old.
The KCRA report said the family continued to sleep despite the fire because the home’s smoke detectors did not go off.
When Birt noticed the fire, he began banging on one of the windows until he was able to wake those inside.
Birt told KCRA, “Like every second that went by, it got worse. I just felt that someone was there because it was so late at night, you know? I just knew I had to act fast.”
Lehman posted a video on Instagram showing the moment her family narrowly escaped certain death. The video was recorded by her Ring doorbell camera. In the caption, she wrote: “The day our lives changed forever! But from the ashes?
The video shows Lehman’s three young children running away, followed by their older brother.
The hero continued: “They went out the door. Like, I just felt like I just wanted to break down and cry. Like, I don’t even know these people here.”
A terrible fire broke out on the night of October 23 in Red Oak, Iowa, about 110 miles southwest of Des Moines
The four siblings, aged 22, 17, 14 and 8, remained asleep inside when the house was engulfed in flames.
According to local reports, the family’s smoke detectors failed when the fire spread
It took the heroics of Brendan Birt to get the family out of bed and to safety
Brandon Birt, pictured here, is an aspiring rapper who goes by the name Blase 96
When Lehman returned from Montana, she met Birt. A grateful mother said, “I am so incredibly grateful, [for sure]. My kids wouldn’t make it, man. They are safe, and they are safe because of him. I mean, they saved lives here. Souls”.
The homeowner told KCRA that their home was destroyed and that five of their seven dogs were dead.
Christopher Lehmann, the children’s father, told the station: “It was just pitch black in the living room. There is nothing left of it.”
Stanton Fire and Rescue said on Facebook that it took them five hours to get the fire under control.
The Red Oak Fire Department said the cause of the fire is under investigation.
In an interview with NewsNationNow’s Prime, Birt described his thought process this way: “I decided to act very quickly because I knew how bad things could get. I just had to assume there were people there.’
He continued: “I just did what I had to do. Fortunately, everything turned out as it should have been.”
Also speaking to the network, Lehman said she now considers Birt her family.
She said: “He was in contact with my children every day. And I know it’s a healing process for him as much as it is for my kids.”
According to Stanton Fire Rescue, firefighters battled the blaze for five hours
The children’s grandmother wrote on Facebook: “This young man does not look like a hero with his sagging trousers, two-tone braids and stocking cap, but he is our hero.”
At the time of writing, a GoFundMe page set up for the family has raised more than $7,500. The page’s goal is $30,000.
According to a page created by Tender Lemon’s mother, Windy Manjares, the family’s home is a “total loss.”
The page reads: “My son-in-law is a boilermaker and my daughter is in college to become a nurse. He who knows them knows their hearts!
It continues: “They would and did help anyone who needed it.” They are homeless and they have nothing left.’
On her Facebook page, Manjares wrote of Birt: “This young man doesn’t look like a hero with his saggy pants, two-tone braids and stocking cap, but he is our hero.”
She added: ‘Brandon Birt, you are my hero! You will always be in my heart as the 25 year old hipster hero who saved my four grandchildren. I love you!’
According to his Facebook page, Brandon is from Red Oak, Iowa and attended Iowa State University.
In 2020, Brendan released his first album, Misunderstood, which ironically includes a track called Get Out. After that, he released his second album, Black Side.
