A 7-year-old girl helped her family escape a house fire in Lakeside on Friday morning.
When a fire erupted at a house at 3:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of River Street, Victoria Mulvaney woke up everyone in the household. Thanks to her swift action, the mother was able to grab her 2-year-old daughter in the other room.
One person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and one of the family's four pet dogs died in the flames.
Victoria told NBC 7it was a fire drill at her elementary school in Lakeside that taught her exactly what she needed to do in case of a fire.
"My window was on fire and so was my heater and it was almost hitting my sister's head," she told NBC 7. "I tried to get her up but she didn't wake up. So I felt the door and called my mom to get them up."
Victoria's mom and her boyfriend said they ran to see the fire in the girl's room, spreading onto the nearby curtains. The family was able to escape the fiery home thanks to her warning.
Victoria says she just learned about fire safety at school a couple days ago and because of it, she knew what to do to get her family out safely.
"Always feel a door before you get out and you should break a window but if its on fire," she said.
Victoria's mother says her principal was impressed that she used the fire safety skills she learned at school.
The blaze was caused by a space heater in the children's bedroom, according the fire department. Damage to the house is estimated at about $100,000.