12-year-old boy credited with getting his family out of burning home

MCKEESPORT, Pa. — A mother is crediting her 12-year-old son with getting her and her other children out of their burning home before it was too late.

Keenan Mikell said he woke up early last Friday morning inside his McKeesport home and heard a popping noise before looking up at his bedroom’s ceiling.

“(I saw) flames. I thought I was going to die,” he said.

Keenan said he ran to his mother’s room to alert her. She said she immediately realized she, Keenan and the other two children needed to get out fast.

“I just grabbed them,” she said.

Family members said the damage from the fire isn't visible from the outside, but the inside is a mess.

Nearly a week later, Keenan’s mother thought back to what if her son didn't hear the noise and smell smoke in their home.

“His whole room could've went on fire,” she said.

She’s calling her son a hero, but he disagreed.

“I just knew what I had to do. It's your first instinct. I don't think it was heroic,” Keenan said.

Keenan’s mother said while she isn't sure what's next for her family, she's glad of one thing.

“My kids made it out with their lives,” she said.

An official cause of the fire has not yet been found, but Keenan’s mother said she believes older wiring in the home may be to blame.

Keenan’s mother said she also had to file a police report after finding that someone had broken into the home and stole everything not damaged in the fire.

Cox Media Group