Keithen Short saw smoke while on a walk with his father and didn’t waste any time in taking action. The 13-year-old Life Scout confirmed that his neighbor’s flowers were on fire and knew exactly how to use his Scout skills to put out the fire. 

“Keithen went up the driveway to find flames in the flower bed. He immediately emptied the water he had left in his water bottle on the flames,” said Andy Short, Keithen’s dad. When the water from his bottle didn’t work, Keithen attempted to stomp out the flames before discovering a garden hose. 

As his son was extinguishing the fire, Andy tried to alert the family who was home but no one answered. Andy then spoke with a neighbor who called the homeowner, who had been in the basement with his two small children and hadn’t heard the doorbell, to alert him of the fire. Thankfully, Keithen was able to put out the fire as it had started to melt the siding on the house. 

“If the flames had caught on the wood under the siding, the whole house could have gone up in flames with a man, his two young children, and their pet inside,” said Andy. “We thank God for putting Keithen in his place, using him, and giving him the courage, knowledge, and ability that he was able to help when needed.”