KITCHENER -- Four-year-old Connor Henhoeffer is being thanked by the Kitchener Fire Department for his quick thinking that may have just saved a life.
It was early in the afternoon on Sept. 7 when Connor was outside and saw smoke coming from a neighbour’s house.
“Connor came up to me and said there is smoke coming out of the garage,” said Connor’s Mom Jenna Henhoeffer. “That’s when I started seeing smoke from a house down the street, so I immediately got my phone.”
According to fire officials, a vehicle caught fire in a garage on Rushbrook Drive and quickly spread inside the home.
Jenna said firefighters were on scene in minutes.
“There was an elderly lady still in the house, so one of the firefighters went straight in and got her out,” she said.
Kitchener Fire later rewarded Connor with a tour of the station and say his early warning made a big difference.
“Even 30 seconds to a minute delay in getting out trucks and crews there could have resulted in a lot more damage than it was,” said public education officer Tom O’Hara.
He adds that Connor’s parents also deserve a thank you, as kids learn most of their fire safety at home.
“A lot of time if it isn’t reinforced at home, it doesn’t take as well with the kids,” said O’Hara. “If they hear it from their parents they tend to retain it longer.”
