A Pine Bluff family is grateful to be alive, thanks to their 7-year-old son, Kayden. A family’s belongings sit exposed and unrecognizable outside their Island Harbor Marina home, but they still have their lives.
Shana, her fiancé Alex and three kids’ lives were changed Tuesday morning when they residence caught fire.
We were very lucky,” Shana Cooper said.
But she says they wouldn’t have been so lucky if it weren’t for her 7-year-old son Kayden Moody.
“He’s amazing. He’s very smart, and he has a very quick wit, he’s now our hero,” Shana said.
A fire broke out in Shana’s father’s room across from the living room.
Smoke filled the home, but the only person who woke up to discover what was happening was Kayden.
“I couldn’t see anything for a moment and then I woke up my brother and I got my mom and we ran outside,” Kayden said.
“Above everything else he was calm. That’s the most impressive thing is that he knew what to do,” Shana said.
“For a second, I couldn’t breathe when I was going to the door,” Kayden said.
While some mementos and photos were destroyed, including those of a late family member, what is still with them is the most important.
“I don’t know what we would have done if Kayden wouldn’t have woken up,” Shana said.
As young as Kayden is, his old soul says this is what he’ll always remember about this day:
“Saving my whole family from the fire.”
The fire department believes a space heater that was plugged in by not on may have sparked and caught a laundry basket full of clothes on fire, which caused it to spread.
The house is insured, and the Red Cross is assisting the family.
