Chief credits quick-thinking 7-year-old for alerting neighbors about fire

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A 7-year-old boy may have saved the day and a nearby house when he quickly let his neighbors and dad know about a house fire.

It was a normal Wednesday afternoon for first-grader Ford Lentz. He was playing baseball with his dad Mark at their West Ashley home. That is until Ford saw flames and smoke from another home in the Carolina Bay neighborhood.

“I ran to tell the neighbors, and Dad called 911,” Ford says.

After calling 911, Mark says a couple of neighbors in the area were able to get hoses and help put out the flames before fire crews arrived.

“Thank goodness that Ford saw it; it could have been a lot worse,” Mark says.

After crews investigated the fire on Mentella Cove Drive, Ford’s mom, Ashley, says the Charleston Fire Department chief came by and told Ford he did a great job alerting the adults.

Firefighters also gave Ford the experience of a lifetime, a chance to climb inside a fire truck.

A 7-year-old boy may have saved the day and his neighbor’s house when he quickly let his neighbors and dad know about a house fire. Credit: Mark Lentz

“We’re so proud of Ford for thinking so quickly and doing the right thing,” Ashley says. “...The fire chief that stopped by our house told us he was so proud of Ford for knowing the right thing to do... and that because of him, he saved the day...”

The big save, according to Mark, corresponded with Ford bringing home sight word books. In a serendipitous moment, the book Ford brought home on the day of the fire was about firefighters.

“So after all this happens, he goes home, and we take the book out of his bookbag, and it’s right there, a firefighter book,” Mark says. “We know God works in mysterious ways; who knows, Ford may be a firefighter one day.”

When asked if he saved the day, Ford replied, “Uh huh.”

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