Teachers and Boston firefighters today honored an 8-year-old boy who ran to help more than a dozen adults and children escape after a fire erupted in the three-decker where he lived.
Firefighters presented Hasani Little, a third grader at the P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester, with a commendation saying he showed exceptional maturity and fearlessness earlier this month by leading his siblings and neighbors to safety.
"His actions — at great risk to himself — represent a tremendous level of bravery, courage and heroism that directly contributed to the safety and survival of others," Firefighters Union Chief Sam Dillon said in a ceremony in the school library. "As firefighters, we are incredibly proud of Hasani's brave actions."
The Dec. 2 fire at a three-decker on Lucerne Street displaced five adults and 11 children. No one was hurt, but Hasani's mother, Geneva Davis, said they lost their home and most of their posessions and have been living in a hotel ever since.
Firefighters did not comment on the cause of the fire, but Davis said a lit candle in her apartment suddenly "exploded," catching the curtains on fire. She told Hasani to alert the other residents as she struggled to extinguish the fire with water.
Hasani did as he was told, waking neighbors on two upper floors and even helping one frantic mother dress her tiny infant for the cold outdoors.
"Hasani is very calm under pressure. He's very mature, he's very empathetic, he's loving," Davis said. "He's a very respectable boy. And I'm very grateful that he's my son."
Teachers at P.A. Shaw organized the event, bringing in union officials from the fire department to the school. Boston City Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy, a former kindergarten teacher, and District 4 City Councilor Brian Worrell also appeared, as did many students and classmates of Hasani's, who took a break from their classes.
Davis sat next her sons, Hasani and his younger brother Hendrix, who also attends the school, as firefighters offered the award. She frequently wiped tears away with a tissue as officials spoke.
Hasani, dressed in a green T-shirt and standing barely 4 feet tall, shyly declined to speak in front of the crowd. Union officials from the fire department said they were sending holiday gifts to the boys and gave Davis a check for $1,500 toward her housing and emergency costs. Davis said she had to pay for her hotel out of pocket because documents she needed for emergency housing from the city were destroyed by the fire.
School officials arranged a GoFundMe page to help Davis and her kids, and made special transportation accomodations so that the boys will be able to continue to attend their school. The fund had raised more than $2,000 as of midday Monday.
Davis said the huge outpouring of support helped counter the traumatic memories of the fire.
"This fire couldn't happen at a worse time for us," she said. "But you know, the love and the support from this school is ... is everything."
