CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Kimberly Sims says she and her husband make sure their older kids know what to do during an emergency and she credits those lessons for them being alive today.
The Sims' Clarksville home is unrecognizable; that's because a fire on December 5 started from the kitchen and quickly spread to every room in the house.
"It's really devastating to see, we've tried to salvage pictures and some other things, but everything is just really smoke damaged," said Sims.
Everyone made it out safely thanks to the kids.
Sims said she ran to her parent's house to let their dogs out for a few minutes, leaving 11-year-old Brody in charge of watching his four siblings.
He was sitting on the couch when he heard his sisters' screams.
"They screamed 'fire' and then they ran out of the house and then my sister looked and then she started to cry and then I looked in and started to call from brother's name who was my mom or dad's room, I grabbed my 2-year-old brother," Brody said.
Brody ushered everyone outside while his little sister called 911.
"Then the neighbor came out and asked if everything was all right and then me and my little sisters kept on saying fire," Brody said.
He even went back inside the home hoping to put the fire out but knew he couldn't do it alone.
The parents were already on their way back home when they got the call from their kids.
Everything from clothes to the Christmas tree were destroyed. Sims says she knows it could have been a lot worse.
"Yes, we lost everything, but we have everything because we have our family," She said.
The cause of the fire is undetermined.
The Clarksville Fire Department will be honoring the kids' bravery.
Fire crews will be dropping the kids off in a fire truck at Barkers Mill Elementary School and Fire Chief Freddie Montgomery Jr. will be presenting Brody with a certificate and a coin for his actions and Sidney the same for calling 911.
If you'd like to help this family pay for expenses they have set up a GoFundMe account.
