In February 2016, five-year-old Cloe Woods from Kenner, Louisiana, saved her blind grandmother and their family dog from a house fire by remembering what she learned from local firefighters.
According to ABC News, Cloe Woods was asleep when smoke began filling their home in the early morning hours.
The fire began in the kitchen after their stove caught fire, triggering the smoke alarm. Rather than panick, Cloe remembered the safety lessons she had learned months earlier when the Kenner Fire Department visited her preschool to teach students about fire prevention.
Her teacher, Brittany Gaillot said, “They talked to the kids saying if there was a fire you need to get out of the house.”
What she learned in October 2015 stuck with her up until February 2016.
In fact, Brittany Gaillot had some praise for her on their visit to the local fire department. She highlighted on how Cloe “loved” the trip and was “a great listener.” It was of no surprise then, that she would later act so smartly.

With the fire still burning and her mother, Shone Arceneaux-Woods, out running an errand to drop off Cloe’s older brother at his carpool group, Cloe quickly got out of bed and ran to her grandmother, 76-year-old Claudia Arceneaux, who is blind.
According to her mother, Shone, Cloe told her grandmother to hold onto her shoulder and said they needed to get out of the house. Shone added that her mother hesitated for a moment, trying to stop and grab a pair of shoes, but Cloe insisted on getting her and the dog out of the house without delay.
“Grandma, don’t worry about your shoes — the house is on fire,” Cloe said.
Once outside, Cloe ran to nearby houses, knocking on doors and asking for help, asking that they call for 911.
The neighbors did called 911, and firefighters from the same department that had trained her arrived minutes later. When they reached the scene, they found Cloe, her grandmother, and their dog safely outside.
The Fire Chief John Hellmers told news outlets that Cloe’s quick actions saved both her life and that of her grandmother’s. He further added, “It’s remarkable that Cloe didn’t hide, but took action when she heard the smoke detector activate, alerting her grandmother and insisting they go outside.”
In the wake of the fire, Sharon Lowe from Cloe’s school, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic, started a GoFundMe campaign to help the family recover from the loss of their home and personal belongings. The campaign had a goal of $15,000 and surpassed it, raising an additional $155.
However, “if it wasn’t for Cloe paying attention on her field trip, who knows what could’ve happened? I couldn’t be prouder of her,” her mother, Shone, said.



