A house fire late Thursday evening at 30 Poplar Street in Birdseye destroyed a home but left a family with a little pride as their pre-teen son is now being called a hero.
A little after 10 PM on Thursday evening a call came in reporting a fire at the home of Meagan and Matthew Bateson. According to reports, the couple was not home at the time, however, the couple’s oldest child, 12-year-old Dylan was at home with his younger siblings 8-year-old Brixon and 6-year-old Taegan who were asleep in their rooms. The couple stated their car had broken down alongside the road and while attempting to fix it to return home they received a call from Dylan telling them of the fire.
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. The parents noted that, unlike a lot of kids, he completely ignored his Xbox, leaving it behind. After getting out of the house, 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.
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 the early morning hours Friday to ensure there weren’t any flare-ups. Saturday morning, the Batesons 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.
Dylan is a student at Cedar Crest Intermediate School while the two younger students attend Pine Ridge Elementary School. The school corporation has donated clothes for the children, and family members have helped with toiletries and hygiene necessities. The family has been trying to come up with a housing solution but with no family in the area, they are at a bit of crossroads with very few options.
If anyone would like to offer assistance or has a lead on a camper or recreation vehicle for sale, please contact the Batesons at 812-202-2648 or email meaganb0123@icloud.com.
The family would like to thank anyone offering assistance in their time of need.
