12-year-old saves siblings and pets from devastating Birdseye fire; family left homeless

A Birdseye family is homeless but safe thanks to the quick actions of their 12-year-old son after their home was destroyed by a fire Thursday evening.

Thursday evening, Meagan and Matthew Batson were helping a friend and left Dylan at home with the couple’s two younger children, Brixon, 8, who was sleeping on the couch, and Taegan, 6, who was sleeping in her room.

Unfortunately, soon after leaving the home, the Batson’s car broke down on them. A few moments later, as they were attempting to remedy the car issues, they got a call from Dylan that the house was on fire.

“We tried to get back, but we couldn’t get the car to start,” Mr. Batson said.

“The youngest two were asleep,” he added through tears. “He got them out of the house. I don’t know how, but he did.”

According to Meagan, Dylan told her he had heard crackling sounds in the attic and smelled smoke. As the smoke began filling the home, he woke up his siblings and took them outside before going back in the home to get the family’s pets — a dog named Chomper and two cats, Boo and Pete.

He also grabbed his backpack and Chromebook for school.

“He left his X-Box,” his mom added.

Dylan then went to get David Fischer, a nearby neighbor who serves on the St. Anthony Volunteer Fire Department. Fischer called in the fire to 9-1-1 and stayed to help.

According to Chief Craig Englert with the Birdseye Volunteer Fire Department, the call for the fire at 30 Poplar Street came in at about 10:09 p.m., and the first truck was on the scene at 10:16 p.m.

“The house was fully involved when we got there,” Englert said, adding that manufactured homes have a tendency to burn quickly.

Birdseye responded with 18 firefighters, two pumper trucks, and a tanker. They called for another tanker truck from Schnellville for assistance.

The departments remained on scene until after 1 a.m. to ensure there weren’t any flare-ups.

Englert said the State Fire Marshall’s office had not determined a cause as of Friday afternoon but would be investigating over the weekend.

Saturday morning, the Batsons returned to the home to survey the damages. The roof is destroyed, and the interior has fire and water damage throughout it. Nothing is salvageable.

“I don’t know what we are going to do,” Mrs. Batson said. “We put everything we had into this place.”

Since Thursday, the Batsons, their pets, and their goat, Mertle, have been bouncing around to different hotels. With the animals, they are having trouble finding a place to stay while they attempt to sort out the disaster they find themselves in.

Dylan attends Cedar Crest and Brixon and Taegen both attend Pine Ridge. The school corporation has donated clothes for the children, and family members have helped with toiletries and hygiene necessities.

According to Mr. Batson, they are attempting to come up with a solution in regard to housing, but with no family in the area, they are limited in options.

“We are thinking about purchasing an RV to put on the property,” he said.

If anyone would like to offer assistance or has a lead on a camper or recreation vehicle for sale, please contact the Batsons at 812-202-2648 or email meaganb0123@icloud.com.

“We would appreciate any help we can get,” he said. “I’ve never needed help like this in my life.”