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7-year-old receives award for alerting her parents to fire

CANONSBURG, Pa. — A 7-year-old Canonsburg girl was given an award for heroism Monday night after saving her family from a fire.

Navaeh Ellis was recognized by the Canonsburg Borough Council for what happened after she woke up around 1 a.m. last Tuesday at the Valley View Terrace Homes.

"My throat was hurting," she said, which is what prompted her to go to her mother's room to tell her something was wrong.

"I told her to get some water, but she's, like, 'Mom, it hurts," Ashley McKean said. "When we got up, we realized the whole downstairs was filled with smoke."

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They helped everyone else, including her four little brothers, get outside.

"Her brother's been talking about his sister saved his life," McKean said. "I mean, if it wasn't for her, we probably wouldn't be here."

An electrical problem with the clothes dryer caused the fire.

McKean told Channel 11 she had smoke detectors that have worked in the past, but said they weren't working that night. The detectors have since been replaced.