11-year-old praised after rushing back into burning apartment to rescue 2-year-old sister

An 11-year-old boy, who bravely ran back to their burning Salisbury, Maryland apartment to save his 2-year-old sister, said he would have been mad at himself if he did not attempt to rescue her. 

According to 11Alive, Laprentis Doughty, 11, initially ran out of the apartment in the wake of the November 22 fire outbreak. But he quickly rushed back to get his sister to safety after he realized she was still trapped inside. 

“If I didn’t save my sister, I would be mad at myself because I could’ve saved her easily. I could have saved her, and I would risk my life for my sister,” Doughty said. The fire at the two-story apartment building was said to have been caused by an electrical issue, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said in a news release. And though Doughty exited the building after the fire started, he rushed back inside to rescue his sister. The 2-year-old was on the second floor at the time.

Authorities said Doughty suffered minor burns on his arm as he got his sister out of the apartment. And because his burns weren’t that serious, he did not need on-scene medical treatment. The Mayor of Salisbury, Jake Days, praised Doughty for his bravery and heroics. “As a mayor, I’m always looking for citizens who are selfless, citizens who are willing to lead, and we’ve got one right here,” Days.

A GoFundMe has since been created to help raise funds for the family. “My son rescued his baby sister from our apartment that caught fire due to electrical issues in [sic] result we lost everything except for the clothes that we had on our backs,” the GoFundMe said. “In [sic] am grateful that my children are alive and breathing.”