10-year-old knew what to do in Nepean blaze thanks to fire safety program

A family credited their fire safety plan as the reason why the seven people, including two young boys, escaped without injury after a blaze decimated their home.

The fire broke out in Nepean on March 14 and was the third crews had tackled since 1:00 a.m. that morning. At 6:14 a.m. officials got a call from a resident who said their home was ablaze.

In an interview with CityNews, Jessica Rutledge said that Jude, 10, saved his brother Javen, 9, after knowing exactly what to do in case of an emergency. This was because of a preventative program by Ottawa Fire Services, which prompted the family of seven to make a fire emergency plan.

“The firefighters used to come by our house periodically to see if we had smoke alarms and everything,” she said. “And then that’s who showed me how to show Jude how to get out if there’s a fire.”

The boys’ grandmother said that morning in March, it was clear Jude knew exactly what to do. The fire started in the living room, Rutledge said. She and her partner were in the basement along with her son. Upstairs is where Jude and Javen were, and in another two rooms, Rutledge’s mother-in-law and her brother.

“He got the window open, he kicked out the screen,” she said of Jude’s reaction to the heavy smoke and alarms going off. “But his little brother wouldn’t leave.”

Javen was frozen with fear. Rutledge said instead of panicking, with a surge of adrenaline, Jude sprang into action.

Jude later told her, “All of a sudden I just got this big thing (feeling) and I picked him up, and I carried him to the front door and I threw him.”

In the chaos of making sure everyone was out, firefighters arrived and saw “heavy flames” coming from the living room. Rutledge described feeling her hair burning from the high heat and the smoke suffocating her.

The family escaped unscathed despite how fast the blaze spread and the near-visibility conditions firefighters reported when tackling the flames. Teams needed to pull down the ceiling on the first floor to make sure it was extinguished. The fire was declared under control around 7:00 a.m.

Fundraiser for family

Rutledge said although the home is not going to be torn down, everything is ruined. Walking through the devastation after, she thought a hamper of clean clothes that weren’t burned could be salvaged, but firefighters informed her the deep smell of smoke would never be removed.

From the basement to the attic, the home was doused in water, making any electronics fried and any personal items unusable.

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Some special items were saved from the wreckage, including some photos that Rutledge had in the basement, the ashes of the boys’ mother who died four years ago, and several other urns of past family members.

Rutledge’s best friend started a fundraiser for the family, who are now living in a hotel trying to rebuild their lives, navigating insurance claims and finding a rental for the time being.

“No amount is too small, and every contribution will make a difference in helping them find stability during this chaotic time,” the GoFundMe reads.

Clothes, food, furniture and personal hygiene items will be purchased with the money raised, Rutledge said.

As for Jude and Javen, Rutledge says they are “living their best lives” with an indoor pool and eating takeout food each night. As for the adults, she said they are hoping to have a settled routine soon.

Rutledge says the family is faring well despite the uphill battle in front of them. She credits this to the network of people around them.

And the first responders, who potentially prevented a more tragic situation with their door-knocking programs, but also how they helped the family.

“The first responders…They were awesome,” Rutledge said.