Six-year-old Bobby Johnson was recognized this week for his heroics in saving his family from a blaze which destroyed their home.
More importantly though, the Johnson family is finally returning to their Oyster River property on Fearon Road.
“We have a fifth wheel (trailer) arriving today. We get to go back home!” said Kelly Bouzane, Bobby’s mom, on Wednesday.
On March 17, around 3:30 a.m., something fell onto a baseboard heater in Bobby’s first-floor bedroom. He awoke to fire shooting up the wall and with flames singeing the back of his head, Bobby ran up the stairs screaming for his family to wake up.
Thanks to Bobby, dad Lyle Johnson, Kelly, and oldest son Dylan, 14, all got out alive as the fire raged.
“When we arrived on scene the backside of the home was engulfed in flames, but we heard the four words every firefighter wants to hear, ‘We are all out!’” said Bruce Green, Deputy Fire Chief at the Oyster River Volunteer Fire Department. “We are here today to honour Bobby for his bravery and quick action.”
Green and fellow firefighters visited Bobby’s school, Miracle Beach Elementary, on Monday to present the youngster with a certificate of commendation from the B.C. Fire Commissioner’s Office.
“Bobby Johnson is to be commended for using his knowledge gained from school fire drills to take swift and decisive action to secure the safety of his family,” wrote commissioner Gordon Anderson. “Bobby’s school and your fire department are also to be commended for ensuring that school children in your community learn valuable fire safety life skills.”
The remnants of the family’s home were demolished. They plan to rebuild – and install working fire alarms – but an engineer is still trying to see if the concrete foundation can remain.
Bouzane said they have received incredible support from the entire community and local businesses, “Everything is moving along nicely and I really want to thank Sunwest (RV Centre). They gave us an awesome deal on the fifth wheel.”