Girl's Quick Thinking Saves Neighbors' House In Bartlesville

The neighbor's house is under construction to fix what was lost, but thanks to Ella's courage and quick thinking, it's nothing compared to what could have happened.

Debris and the smell of smoke are what's left of Tammy Schmidt's house.

"We had just been gone for 10 minutes," she said.

Tammy and her husband were moving into the home and were planning to spend the first night there. They were out running errands when they returned and found out the house had caught fire.

"That was absolutely terrifying," she said. 

The stove inside the house had kicked on, catching several items sitting on top on fire and spreading to their other belongings. But what was most valuable to them was their dog, Abby, who was trapped inside the home.

"It would have been just minutes more, and Abby, the dog, would not have survived," said Tammy. 

In those few minutes, 11-year-old Ella Wright made all the difference. She and her mom were picking her little brother up from school when she saw smoke down the street and thought it may have been her friend's grandma's house.

"I told my mom, and she said not to worry about it, but I still went anyway to make sure it wasn't her house," she said. 

It turned out it was the new neighbor's house.

"I wanted to make sure there wasn't anybody inside," Ella said. 

Ella received the Award of Merit from the Bartlesville Fire Chief for her initiative and quick thinking.

"It made me feel really special and that people will recognize me now," she said. 

After the fire, the Schmidt's didn't just build a home from the ashes, but a new friendship with the girl who saved a piece of their family.

"I was just amazed and so thankful," Tammy said. 

After this experience, the homeowners encourage parents to teach their kids that if they see something, to say something.