Eight-year old Felix Dalley was playing outside at the end of May when he saw black smoke coming from his front porch.
He rushed through the back door and alerted his family to the fire, which consumed the house in a matter of 10 minutes.
Amy Dalley, Felix’s mother, was at work during the fire. When she got a phone call telling her what happened, she said she collapsed to the ground.
“Felix had told me after that he remembered his dad telling him that black smoke indicates danger,” Dalley said. “I don’t even want to think of what could have happened because literally my husband said the house, once they ran out, it was gone.”
This week, Felix was presented with a certificate of recognition from the City of Moncton and a crest from the fire chief for his quick action to save his family from the house fire.
The day of the fire
Felix was playing outside with his friends on May 23 at around 3 p.m. in the Carsdale Court neighbourhood when he saw the black smoke coming from the front porch.
He ran through the back door and first alerted his uncle, who then spotted flames coming through the porch’s floor boards.
His uncle yelled to the others — Felix’s father, brother and cousin — and they all ran out the back door.
Dalley said she rushed home from work right away and found the family at a neighbour’s house.
In the weeks after
Dalley said the first few weeks after the fire were “a fog.”
“You never expect that to happen to you. You lose everything. You lose your memories,” said Dalley.
The family had a cat, which still hasn’t been found.
Dalley said the house will need to be rebuilt and she’s unsure how long that will take.
Charles Leblanc, the deputy fire chief, said the fire was determined to be accidental and it started outside.
Dalley said the community offered lots of support. She even had someone reach out and offer to give the family the rest of his lease because he was moving, which is where the family is now.
She said she’s happy to be in the same neighbourhood because the biggest priority was making sure the kids could go to the same school in the fall and be with their friends.
“They’ve already went through lots of trauma and whatnot, so trying to be as normal as we can through the trauma, but just taking it one day at a time,” said Dalley.
‘True hero’
At Moncton city council meeting this week, Felix got a certificate from the city along with a crest and gold coin from the Moncton Fire Department.
Fire Chief Conrad Landry said the crest and gold coin are normally reserved for firefighters, but an exception was made for Felix.
“He is a true hero and his actions will never be forgotten,” said Landry.
Landry said he consulted with firefighters when he got to the scene of the fire, and there was “practically zero survivability” when they arrived at the house.
Dalley, who attended the city council meeting, said she’s very proud of Felix. She said the recognition from the city and the fire department is “touching.”
“He’s our hero,” said Dalley. “He’s a hero in a lot of other people’s eyes as well.”