The boy later said he knew he needed to “stay calm” in those critical moments so that his mother would not panic
Credit: WIN News Tasmania/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- A 10-year-old boy with autism was honored for bravery after helping protect his family during a house fire
- Ollie Bunskill calmly alerted his mother to the flames and carried his baby sister outside while his mom used a fire blanket and extinguisher to contain the blaze
- The fire was caused by a mandoline slicer left on a hot plate, and Ollie’s family and school credited his quick thinking and recent fire safety training for saving the home from destruction
An autistic boy who calmly alerted his mother to a house fire at their home — and saved his baby sister in the process — has received a local honor for bravery.
Stacey Brunskill of Prospect Vale in northern Tasmania was recently at home with her son, Oliver (“Ollie”), and baby daughter when Ollie noticed something amiss in their kitchen, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and WIN News.
“My son came over and alerted me that there was a fire,” Stacey recalled while speaking to ABC.
“I came out to see what was going on and there was probably about a foot-and-a-half flame on the stove at that point,” she added.
She said that Ollie, 10, then calmly picked up his baby sister and walked her outside to safety.
Stacey was able to smother much of the fire with a fire blanket. She then ran to her car and put the remainder of the flames out with a fire extinguisher while a neighbor called emergency services.
And while the mom of two said she was “grateful” to have had fire safety equipment on hand, she also credits her son’s calm, collected thinking for keeping their family safe.
“If Oliver hadn’t been here … we might not even be here,” she told ABC.
The Tasmania Fire Service praised the boy’s heroic act on Facebook, writing, “Well done, Ollie, on your bravery and for putting your fire safety knowledge into action.”
She later learned that the fire was caused by a mandoline slicer accidentally left on a hot plate.
While speaking to WIN News, Ollie said he initially spotted a “giant flame” out of the corner of his eye while sitting in the other room with his sister.
“When I saw the flame, my first reaction was ‘Okay, I have to tell my mom. But I have to stay calm while doing it, because if I’m panicking, my mom will start panicking even more,” he explained.
Stacey said that Ollie — who has level two autism and ADHD — is not typically the calmest of kids, but that he was “so calm and collected” in that moment.
“He was amazing,” she added while speaking to WIN News.
Word of Ollie’s actions spread among the local community, and he received a certificate of bravery from Education Minister Jo Palmer and a visit from the mayor in front of his classmates at Summerdale Primary School on Sept. 2, per ABC and WIN News.
His school principal, Toby O’Connor, told the ABC that students had recently undergone fire safety training — something he believes may have helped Ollie during those pivotal moments when the fire started.
“We’ve had that in the last couple of months … I know after listening to Ollie and what he was able to do, that’s a result of his bravery but also the education he’s been able to gain from those valuable sessions,” O’Connor said.
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Ollie’s mom is now urging parents to make sure they have fire safety equipment in the home.
“The fire brigade said that’s what stopped it from expanding further … if I didn’t have that, chances are that my house would have been completely demolished,” she told the ABC.
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