De’Meria Thomas has captured the attention of the Greenville Fire Department for her quick thinking in rescuing her grandparents‘ home.
On August 15, Greenville firefighters responded to a residential house fire. Before the units arrived, the inhabitants had already evacuated the residence.
Units reported that light smoke was visible from the single-story brick frame building when they arrived, according to WLBT.
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After conducting an investigation, firefighters discovered that 8-year-old Thomas had extinguished the fire.
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Thomas explained that her little brother raced to her about a fire, and she used the P.A.S.S. approach using a fire extinguisher, as she had been taught.
The acronym P.A.S.S. stands for “Pull the pin, Aim the hose, Squeeze the trigger, and Sweep side to side at the base of the fire with the hose.”
All residents were able to evacuate the home safely and without injury. The department believes that fire prevention was a key factor in the incident.
The Greenville Fire Department stated, “Special thanks to Miss De’Meria for her brave and fierce act in saving her grandparents’ home.”
“Greenville Firefighters are so proud of this young lady for protecting her family and home until professional firefighters arrived,” the department added.
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In addition, the department asked Thomas to attend their Kids Academy for free in June 2026.
Every year, the Greenville Fire Rescue Junior Fire Marshal Academy hosts an engaging summer camp for kids in second through fifth grade, according to WNCT. The kids gain a lot of knowledge about how firefighters protect both themselves and other people.
The US Fire Administration reports that in 2020, children under the age of 14 had a 70% lower relative risk of dying in a fire than the general population. It stated that the lower risk could be due, in part, to increased public fire education and prevention efforts by fire departments and other fire safety organizations.
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