Latrell McCockran, 14-Year Old Superhero, Risks Life Saving Disabled Man And Dog From Fire

Latrell McCockran did what we expect to see superheroes do in the movies, but this Fairfield, California, teen is a superhero in real life — and today an elderly neighbor and the man’s dog are still alive and well thanks to the brave actions of this fearless 14-year-old.

Here’s what happened: On June 14, Latrell was hanging out at a friend’s place in an apartment complex at 1990 Grand Circle in Fairfield at about 7:30 pm — when he suddenly smelled the strong scent of smoke. At the time, he had no idea he was about to step into the middle of what the Fairfield Fire Department would categorize as a four-alarm blaze in the building.

The first thing Latrell did was grab one of the building’s fire extinguishers and head straight for the source of the smoke. But when he got there, he found more than just a fire. He saw an elderly, disabled man struggling to escape from an apartment unit that had already filled with smoke.

“I ran from up here (on the second floor),” Latrell told KCRA TV News. “I kicked that fire extinguisher in. I saw the old guy stumbling, so I picked him up and took him down there, to where the other guys were. I gave him water and a chair.”

But when he got the elderly man to safety, the man told him that his dog was still inside the apartment. He also said there could be kids back inside the building.

So Latrell went back into the burning building again. “I went back where the dog was — back into the room where the furniture was,” Latrell recounted. “I opened the door and the dog came out.”

Was the 14-year-old scared? He says that it didn’t really matter how he was feeling at that moment.

“It’s not right to sit there and watch someone die,” he said. “That would sit on me for the rest of my life and I can’t do that.”

Latrell was so unconcerned for his own safety that he went back into the building a third time to be certain that there were no kids, or anyone else, trapped inside.

“I tied my shirt around my mouth and got on the floor, because you couldn’t see nothing at the top,” said Latrell “So, I got down on the ground and called out about five or six times. Nobody answered.”

His brother and father also helped people get to safety. Only when the heat from the blaze and the suffocating smoke became unbearable did they leave the building.

Fairfield Fire Battalion Chief Matt Luckenbach says that Latrell saved the lives of both the elderly man and his dog. The man had singes in his hair, but was otherwise okay.

The blaze destroyed three apartments, while several others were damaged by water and smoke. It too firefighters well into the night to finally extinguish the serious blaze.

Teenage hero Latrell McCockran was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries, including smoke inhalation, but was released basically unharmed.

[Image: KCRA Screen Capture]