Man Saves 4 Siblings After Making a Wrong Turn and Seeing Home on Fire: 'They're Safe Because of Him'
Sometimes a wrong turn can put you in the right place.
Brendon Birt was driving down a road in Red Oak, Iowa, when he made a wrong turn and just happened to be in front of a family's home as it caught on fire, according to ABC affiliate KETV.
"I just felt like somebody was in there," Birt told the outlet. "I just knew I had to act quick."
As it turned out, there were four siblings inside — and because smoke detectors in the house failed to go off, they say they only woke up when they heard him banging and yelling from outside.
Tender Lehman told KETV that at the time of the fire, she was in Montana for a family emergency, and that the children's 22-year-old brother was home with them.
According to a GoFundMe set up to help the family recover from the fire, the other children were 17, 14, and 8.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ring doorbell footage captured the moment the three younger siblings ran out of the house together. A while later, the 22-year-old made it out just before the flames spread.
"They came out the door [and] I just felt like I just wanted to break down and cry," Birt told KETV.
RELATED: 10-Year-Old Girl Saves Family From Indiana House Fire: 'She Punched Through and Broke the Glass'
According to the GoFundMe, which has raised over $9,000 as of Monday afternoon, the family's home, their belongings, and two of the family's five dogs did not survive the fire.
Still, the family is filled with gratitude that they "got out with seconds to spare."
"My kids wouldn't have made it," Lehman told KETV. "They're safe because of him."
Although it was only a wrong turn that brought their lives together, Lehman added that Birt is "family now."
A cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Red Oak Fire Department, per the outlet.
