Douglas County fire chief honors 11-year-old hero

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. - The Douglas County Fire Department honored an 11-year-old boy Thursday for his part in helping four of his family members escape from a devastating fire earlier this month.

"If he wasn't 11 years old, I would hire him on the spot," said Douglas Co. Fire Chief Roderick Jolivette.

Chief Jolivette presented Calil Gillis with a citizen award for his quick thinking.

"It started getting hotter and hotter in my room and I woke up to see what was going on and turn the AC on," Gillis recalled.  "So, when I woke up, [there] was white smoke coming out the vents."

Gillis said he went into the hallway and found more smoke.

"So, I looked out my window--it's a whole raging fire coming up my window," said Gillis.

He quickly ran downstairs to alert his sister, brother and two cousins.  They were all able to make it out of the house safely.

Firefighters said by the time they arrived, half of the home was engulfed in flames. The home was a total loss.

Chief Jolivette said this incident serves as an important reminder to all families to have working smoke detectors in place and an emergency evacuation plan.

Gillis' mother, Charetta Pryor, said her boss set up a GoFundMe page to help them bounce back from the loss of their home.  The family had only recently moved to Douglas County and Pryor said she has been blown away by the community's response.

"I love Douglasville," said Pryor.  "We just moved down here in April and to get the support that we've gotten from the community is--it's overwhelming."

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