‘I stayed calm so my mum would stay calm’: 10-year-old saves family from fire

Ollie Brunskill dressed as Link from The Legend of Zelda for Book Week. A day later, the 10-year-old acted like the hero he admired when he spotted a fire spreading through his family’s kitchen in Prospect Vale, northern Tasmania.

The blaze began after a mandoline slicer had accidentally been left on a hot plate. Ollie saw the flames reflected in a kitchen window, calmly warned his mother, Stacey, and carried his baby sister Nora outside. He took her across to a neighbour’s house while his mother tackled the growing fire.

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My son came over and alerted me that there was a fire.

Stacey Brunskill smothered the flames with a fire blanket and called Triple Zero. She then used a fire extinguisher through the kitchen window, allowing a neighbour to direct a hose into the room. The fire brigade said the fire blanket stopped the blaze from spreading further.

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If Oliver hadn’t been here … we might not even be here.

The flames remained in the kitchen, but black smoke and soot damaged many belongings throughout the home, including new bedding, a playpen and a car seat. Stacey said the outcome could have been far worse without her son’s quick response.

Ollie received a certificate of bravery from Education Minister Jo Palmer at his primary school. He said Link inspired him because he is “someone who saves people and species.” Ollie also explained why he stayed calm: “Instead of grabbing every…”

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someone who saves people and species