Teen saves 10-year-old sister and dog from Cape Coral house fire

Evan Spurrier decided to try to save his sister.

If you think he looks familiar, it’s probably because earlier in March, WINK News reported him getting the Do the Right Thing award.

Spurrier told WINK News the whole thing felt unreal. At first, he thought of stopping the fire, but when that didn’t work, he momentarily paused to recuperate.

Spurrier’s only concern at that moment was his fast-asleep 10-year-old sister.

Burnt cabinets, stripped walls and charred floors.

“It feels unreal when you when it’s happening. Because it’s like, damn, all the flames in your face, the smoke, everything,” said Spurrier.

Spurrier, 17, was baking a cake and preparing some fries for his sister.

“I had stepped out of the kitchen to put my shoes up. And I came back. And the pot had flames in it,” said Spurrier.

Running to his garage, Spurrier was searching for a fire extinguisher. But, by the time he got back to the pot, the fire had gotten much worse.

“It was already like getting up to the ceiling. And it was just a whole bunch of smoke. And I was trying to collect my thoughts,” said Spurrier.

Realizing in a split second, Anavae, his 10-year-old sister, was snoozing in the other room. That’s when he dashed to her.

“When I got her out, I think that she didn’t think it was real, because she had imagined getting woken up. And then there’s just fire, and you’re being carried,” said Spurrier.

But the heroics didn’t end after saving his sister’s life. He couldn’t leave Tuna, his dog, behind either. Without hesitating, Spurrier raced back to face the flames inside the home.

“The fire was already on the ceiling. So the whole floor, the lights and electricity shut off. And I couldn’t see anything,” said Spurrier.

Undaunted by the fire, Spurrier found Tuna and brought her to safety. Spurrier told WINK News it wasn’t until after they were safe that it all began to sink in.

“I started sobbing because I felt really really, really guilty,” Spurrier said. “It was my fault.”

That is until his father showed up.

“He gave me a hug,” said Spurrier. “I’ve never cried so much.”

“There’s some things that could have prevented this from happening, but he handled it the way he was supposed to,” said his father, Diajaith Collins.

Collins said he didn’t have time to feel any sort of panic because his son had already taken care of what was important: his family.

Collins said he’s thinking of joining the Marines after high school, and after hearing how calm and collected he was through the intense scenario, he could fit right in with them.