TERRELL— Just after 6 a.m. on August 7th, a fire occurred in Terrell. The Terrell ISD Superintendent, a student, and the community sprang to action, a testament to true community.
TERRELL— Just after 6 a.m. on August 7th, a fire occurred in Terrell. The Terrell ISD Superintendent, a student, and the community sprang to action, a testament to true community.
Terrell ISD Superintendent Dr. Georgeanne Warnock shared the story on her Facebook page.
“This morning was momentarily terrifying. Around 6:15, we heard the loudest sound, like an explosion. We jumped up and ran to figure out what was happening. Matt [her husband] rushed to the back of the house to make sure our son was okay while I ran to the front window. Across the street, there was a small but growing fire,” Dr. Warnock wrote on Facebook.
“We made the first personal 911 call of our lives (not work related)…and ran out to try to help…a man stopped his car to help, running to and banging on the door of our neighbor while Matt was trying to get our hose over to the fire—and it wouldn’t reach.”
Warnock continued by stating that she grabbed a fire extinguisher and passed it to her husband, who began working. Then, a neighbor ran over with her garden hose, and a teenager came running with a bucket of water.
That teenager has since been identified as Terrell ISD student Trae Brewer. Brewer, 17, will be a senior at Terrell High School this fall. inForney.com contacted Brewer and his mom to discuss his quick call to action.
“I felt a burst of energy, and my brother yelled. We saw it was a fire, and I went to help,” Brewer told inForney.com.
He said he ran with a “big ‘ol” bucket of water and threw it on the largest part of the fire.
Just after that, the Terrell Fire Department arrived and began their efforts.
Dr. Warnock told inForney.com that after the initial fear and uncertainty passed, she felt gratitude for a moment, demonstrating the community's power.
“I really have been in a space of gratitude for this moment when community and neighbors from all walks of life came together in an act of kindness and help,” said Dr. Warnock. “[That] morning was a little slice of what is right and good in our community and in our nation.”
Warnock also said the event reminded her of the Fred Rogers quote about looking for helpers in times of turmoil.
As for Brewer, he told inForney.com that he didn’t help for the recognition yet only because it was the right thing to do.
“I didn’t do this for recognition; I went to help because that’s what we do,” Brewer said.
He also told inForney.com that in the days that have passed, neighbors have come and knocked on his door and told him thanks for stepping up when seconds mattered.
When Brewer was asked if he knew the Superintendent lived across the street from him, he said he had no idea before that moment. When asked how he feels about knowing, he laughed and said, “There’s nothing I can do about it now.”
Dr. Warnock concluded by saying that now the running joke is, “What fires did you put out today, Dr. Warnock? Real ones or figurative?”
“I’ll leave the firefighting to the true heroes, our first responders, and focus on doing good work for Trae and the other wonderful kids in our community,” said Dr. Warnock.