A young boy in the city of Brockville has saved a man life. Ten-year-old Jamison Laurin knew something was wrong when the fire alarm was not shutting off in an apartment unit down the hall from where his mother lives.

Jamison ventured down the hall, wondering about the alarm still ringing. He saw smoke coming from under the door, and he ran back to alert his mother. His mother went out to investigate, and  heard groaning on the other side of the apartment door but when she tried to open the door  it was locked.

His mother immediately called 911, and the local service responded with the ladder and pumper rescue trucks, and six firefighters. The main alarm for the building had not yet activated.

Forcing their way into the unit using an axe and Halligan pry tool, the firefighters found an unconscious man in his 30s on the floor near the door. The kitchen oven was on fire and spreading to the stove top. It would not have been long before the kitchen cabinets above caught fire, said Captain Travis Cauley who was in command at the scene.

“The guy would have died,” Cauley stated. “Jamison did the right thing. I’m sure it was his actions that saved the guy’s life,” Cauley added, recalling the scene of heavy smoke in the apartment and the flames that would have spread, jeopardizing other units and more lives in the brick building. “Jamison gave us extra time,” and the fire was extinguished quickly, Cauley said.

Cauley said he believes the tenant in the apartment had fallen asleep while his egg rolls cooked in the oven. There were signs he had tried to escape, but couldn’t make it. Firefighters were able to pull the man from the apartment and administer aid until paramedics arrived. The tenant was treated at Brockville General Hospital for smoke inhalation, Cauley said.

“I’d say he is a hero,” the captain said of Jamison. “He could have kept on walking and gone out and played. He realized there was a problem and he took action” in a situation many people would avoid.

It is a frequent occurrence that residential smoke alarms are activated by cooking smoke. But Brockville chief fire prevention officer Greg Healy said it is important people are vigilant when they hear a smoke alarm.

“Don’t ever be afraid to contact the fire department if you hear an alarm, or if you smell smoke or see smoke,” Healy said. It is always best to err on the side of caution, he added.