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A 14-year-old Indiana teen is being hailed as a hero after saving her family from a house fire.
It all began on Tuesday 4 June when the girl woke up in the morning to something that smelled ‘sweet’.
Zoey Jasso was asleep at home on Level Street in Charlestown when at 10am, something woke her up.
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It was the sound of the fire alarm and the ‘sweet scent’ which alerted the teen that something was terribly wrong.
According the WLKY, Zoey immediately got out of bed and woke up her twin sister, who was sleeping in the same room before moving towards the bedroom where her 3-year-old twin cousins and their dad were sleeping.
She told the news station: "I'd seen orange like it was like an orange light. And so I turned on my flashlight, and I'd seen the smoke fill up the room.
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"I yelled, 'I think there's a fire,' and then everyone just woke up immediately, and then they all got out.”
All five family members and a dog were able to leave the blaze within one minute, with fire crews arriving to the scene just moments later, reported WDRB.
Zoey’s great aunt, Sandy Huff was at work when the fire started and told the news station that she is ‘thankful we have our village to support us. Our family is, when something happens they're there.’
What caused the fire is not currently known, but Zoey believes that their rental home is now a ‘total loss’ after the fire.
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Thankfully, the WDRB reported that the family had taken out insurance for the home, but due to the investigation and damages caused to the property, they are now staying with a relative until they know how to best proceed.
Zoey said: "It is a little scary because it was right next to me. And I was just thinking, 'What if I stayed in the room a little bit longer? What would have happened?'
"It is very scary to look at this and see I was almost in that."
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Because of her heroic bravery and ability to safely evacuate her family before a tragedy occurred, the teen was presented with a City of Charlestown challenge coin by the Charlestown Board of Public Works as well as a Certificate of Appreciation for heroic actions.
The city of Charlestown shared on its official Facebook page: "Mayor Treva Hodges explained during the presentation that Zoey awoke to the smell of smoke and because of her quick thinking and action; without panic, she awoke other occupants of the dwelling to help ensure everyone in danger made it out safely.”
Britt Jones