Molino Girl Scout Honored For Saving Lives Of Her Mother And Grandmother In House Fire

August 13, 2020

A Molino Girl Scout was honored as a hero Wednesday afternoon for saving her family from a January 2019 house fire on Crabtree Church Road.

Destany McKim, 14, was presented with the Girl Scout Bronze Cross for Valor for saving her mother and grandmother from the fire about 12:30 a.m. on January 25, 2019. The award is the highest honor given by the Girl Scouts for saving a life.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Escambia County Fire Prevention Officer Ray Melton said, “If this young lady had not acted the way she did that night of that fire, this would have been a very tragic fire for Escambia County.We would have lost three lives. But her bravery carried her through. She used her fear as a tool — which we try to teach our kids — and she pulled through.”

Destany, who was 12 at the time of the fire, said she was up late doing homework, and smelled a little smoke. At first, she thought her mother was cooking.

“As soon as I looked over at the living room, the extension cord just burst into flames,” Destany told NorthEscambia.com. She immediately went to wake her mom and grandmother as the house began to fill with dark smoke.

“My mom is a smoker, so she didn’t smell the smoke. It didn’t wake her up, and my grandmother wears a CPAP machine, so couldn’t have smelled it,” she said. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.

As she got her mother and grandmother out of the home, she had the forethought to close the doors to slow the spread of the fire. Her grandmother went back in with a fire extinguisher, but the flames spread rapidly.

“It just spread everywhere, and the windows had just burst.”

She worked to save the three family dogs, including a 65-pound basset hound that she ultimately had to tote away from the burning home.

“Most people run out of a building that is burning. Well, she ran back into that building. That is exactly what a hero Destany is,” Escambia County Public Safety Director Jason Rogers said during a ceremony Wednesday at the Molino Fire Station.  “You can’t teach courage. Courage is in here, and you have it within you. So, today Destany, you are our hero, and we honor you.”

“I don’t feel like I am a hero. I feel like I did what anybody else would have done in that situation because I just thought of my family. If I had gone into panic mode, there was no keeping my mother out of panic mode,” Destany said. “I don’t feel like a hero, but I’m flattered.”

“She’s a hero. A real hero. She saved her lives,” Destany’s mother Datanya Wells said.

Destany, who will attend Northview High School this year, may have a future in firefighting. She’s applying to be an Escambia County Fire Rescue junior firefighter.

For a photo gallery, click here.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

15 Responses to “Molino Girl Scout Honored For Saving Lives Of Her Mother And Grandmother In House Fire”

  1. Janice on August 15th, 2020 7:32 pm

    Incredible job! You have been an incredible blessing! An honor well deserved!

  2. BRING IT ON on August 15th, 2020 1:06 am

    What a wonderful girl. Stay in scouting, teaches good like skills.

  3. April on August 15th, 2020 12:08 am

    Such a brave young lady!

  4. Sammie on August 14th, 2020 1:05 pm

    Way to go, Destany! You rock!

  5. Elizabeth D on August 13th, 2020 8:04 pm

    Go girl! Congratulations! You were very brave

  6. DaTanya Wells on August 13th, 2020 7:26 pm

    We are so proud of our hero and can’t wait to see what the future will hold for Destany she has very big dreams and wants to help more people

  7. Charlotte Rebecca Bates on August 13th, 2020 11:46 am

    Not only is she a very brave young lady, but a very beautiful young lady inside and out. God bless you. You are a hero.

  8. Rasheed Jackson on August 13th, 2020 11:01 am

    This is a great story. With all the negativity and crime we see in the news it is a breath of fresh air to read a story like this. Great job young lady!!

  9. Beyond brave on August 13th, 2020 10:34 am

    You are a very brave and full of courage, like you said you did what you were supposed to do, save your family. I love to see stories like this, it shows what type of character that you have and it will take you a long way in life. You have been raised by some very good people and I know your mom and grandmother are proud of the beautiful young lady that you have turned out to be. Keep the positive vibes.

  10. Melissa on August 13th, 2020 10:05 am

    So proud of you Dezzy! You have been a extension of our family for forever it seems. So thrilled to see you get recognized for things I get to see every day.

  11. tg on August 13th, 2020 9:57 am

    GO GIRL you are a Hero. Good News.

  12. Rational on August 13th, 2020 9:28 am

    We need more wonderful, caring young women in this world. Bravo for being brave!

  13. Mary on August 13th, 2020 8:30 am

    I know at age 14 I would not have been as brave and clear-headed as this young lady. She has a bright future ahead.

  14. Willene Bryan on August 13th, 2020 7:40 am

    Congratulations a wonderful honor.

  15. Sandra on August 13th, 2020 6:44 am

    Brave girl!