Raydon Mowatt, young hero who saved his two brothers from a burning house in Pikogan

The worst was avoided thanks to the composure of Raydon Mowatt, 15, who literally saved the lives of his brothers Curtis, 14, and Davis, 13, who were sleeping in the basement with him that morning.

All three had stayed in bed after returning overnight from a trip outside the region. His parents Patrick Mowatt and Jocelyne Brazeau, his other brother Rayliss, 11, and his sister Thérésa, 17, were not at home.

It happened so fast. I was in my room. I was lying down, heard an explosion and looked back. I saw the fire start. I went to see my brother Curtis, I told him: “There’s a fire, we have to get out of here”. I took him back upstairs. There was smoke coming into the house, I couldn’t see anything, I just got it out quickly. I was on adrenaline. I said to him, “Are you okay?” He told me yes. He was in tearssays Raydon Mowatt.

Once outside, a neighbor, Serge Tremblay, asked him if there were other people left in the house. Thinking of Davis, he immediately went back inside, without even thinking.

I couldn’t see anything, I just went downstairs. I saw Davis. He was sleeping, he was very tired. After I took him, I told him: ” Take a blanket to breathe, stay low and do not breathe smoke, and I took him out. The three, we gave each other a big hug because I love them and I don’t want to lose themrecounts with emotion the young hero of 15 years, very proud of his achievement.

Parents relieved

Patrick Mowatt was at work when his brother John called to tell him his house was on fire.

I immediately jumped. I got up from my chair and started to walk from one side of the room to the other where I was. I asked him: “Then, the children?” He told me the kids were okay. It gave me a big relief. It’s a big emotion that I experienced, it’s the first time it’s happened to me, a big emotion as wellhe points out.

I too was at work, remembers Jocelyne Brazeau. When I saw the flames, I wasn’t sure it was my house. But when I saw that it was my house, I had a big panic. One of my colleagues came to bring me here.

” When I saw the flames, I screamed loudly. I yelled at my children, I didn’t know where they were. One of the guys who was there said to me: your children are there, they are correct. »

An angel was watching over his children that day, believes Patrick Mowatt. And he is extremely proud of Raydon’s achievement.

Lucky he was there, he pretty much saved the whole family. I’m very proud of him, he’s a very brave little guy. When I thought about all that, I said to myself that it could have gone differently. Someone told me there had been an angel somewhere. I totally agree. We were lucky in our bad luck, really luckyhe acknowledges.

Davis, our 13 year old boy, always sleeps upstairs. But that morning, he decided to sleep in the basement, in the bedroom of his sister Thérésa, who was on a trip outside. Imagine if he had slept upstairs. Maybe it would have turned out differentlysays Jocelyne Brazeau.

A new house

A little over a month after the fire, only the foundation of the house remains. The memories of the family have gone with the smoke. A member of the community generously lent them his house until they could find new accommodation. The house is owned by the Abitibiwinni First Nation Council.

To date, what we are told is that they are going to rebuild and that we are going to go back there. I had applied for another house. I was told that was a possibility. We wrote a letter to the Council explaining why we would like a new house. We want bigger, that’s for sure, we are seven in all. But we also want to try to forget the bad memories we have here, especially for the children. try to forget what happenedargues Patrick Mowatt.

A crowdfunding campaign raised more than $2,300 to help the family.