Florida Girl, 16, Rescues 99-Year-Old Man from House Fire on Her Way Home from School

A 16-year-old Florida girl proved that the role of Good Samaritan has no age restrictions when she saved a 99-year-old man from a house fire.

Marianna High School student Avery Carmichael, 16, was taking her normal route home from school Monday when she spotted a plume of smoke in the distant sky, Panama City’s WMBB reported.

Maybe it was color of the smoke or its thickness, but something told Carmichael it wasn’t from someone burning brush or leaves in their yard.

“I saw a fire, and living in Calhoun County, I know that people are always burning stuff,” she told the TV news outlet. “So, with the worry in me, I just sped up a little bit.”

The high school is located about 65 miles northwest of Tallahassee. Marianna is a Panhandle town of barely more than 6,000 residents. Its school district accepts some students from nearby Calhoun County some 30 miles away.

Soon the new teenage driver saw something more than smoke. She saw a camper home on fire and a frail senior trying to escape its few steps.

“I saw that he’s coming down the stairs, but he couldn’t really make it,” Carmichael said.

She didn’t hesitate, she said.

“I didn’t freeze or anything,” she said. “I just automatically drove into his driveway, and then I went and I went up the stairs, put his arm around me, and I carried him.”

For some reason, she said she had no fear, only desire to save the man. Adrenaline apparently kicked in as well.

“I wasn’t crying or anything,” Carmichael said. “Like, I wasn’t really scared. I was just like acting. I was using strength I didn’t even know that I had.”

The high school junior said she would do it again if faced with a similar situation. Instincts kicked in.

Calhoun County Sheriff Michael Bryant lauded Carmichael.

“I would like to thank her for her quick response and bravery by putting her life in danger to save the life of another,” the sheriff told the news outlet. “Her actions, at such a young age, speaks [sic] volumes about her character and willingness to help others. An example to us all.”

The fire entirely destroyed the elderly man’s camper home, but he reportedly did not suffer any serious injuries.

Breitbart contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.