{"id":16053,"date":"2018-08-27T12:07:33","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T17:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=16053"},"modified":"2018-08-27T12:17:07","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T17:17:07","slug":"savannah-fire-honors-high-school-student-for-rescuing-neighbor-from-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/georgiaarsoncontrol.org\/?p=16053","title":{"rendered":"Savannah Fire honors high school student for rescuing neighbor from fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Savannah Now<\/a>) \u2013 A 17-year-old Savannah High School student rescued his neighbor from a house fire Monday night.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Taequan Mitchell was heralded as a hero. Savannah Fire Chief Charles Middleton and a few other members of Savannah Fire gathered outside Mitchell\u2019s Georgia Avenue home Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

They were joined by District 3 Alderman John Hall, friends and family and a few school board representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you did today was so phenomenal, because it goes against the grain of what people believe today about so many of our young people,\u201d Middleton said.<\/p>\n

Mitchell, a senior at Savannah High, got a hero\u2019s welcome at school on Tuesday as well. His heroics were broadcast to everyone at Savannah High during the morning announcements.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey announced it on the intercom, and when the block had changed and it was time to go to the next period and stuff, all you heard was everybody: \u2018Oh Taequan, you\u2019re a hero,\u2019\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cI was getting hugs left and right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s mother and uncle were sitting on their porch a little before 10 p.m. Monday night, when his mother saw smoke wafting over Georgia Avenue.<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s mother yelled to him, and told him to go see if the smoke was coming from the house of his neighbor and friend, Stephen Solomon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kinda panicked a little bit,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cI thought, \u2018I need to help him.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell said he sometimes helps Solomon with work around the house \u2013 little projects like fixing the shed or cutting his grass. He said Solomon is usually out on his porch, and he always makes a point to wave or stop by when he sees him.<\/p>\n