California girl, 10, hailed a hero for saving entire family from catastrophic house fire with her quick thinking

By SOPHIA BAUM - FEMAIL REPORTER, INTERN Published: 17:32, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 17:56, 11 June 2026 A 10-year-old Californian girl is being commended for her bravery after saving six people from a devastating house fire. Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Morgan was praised for her courage and split second instincts after rescuing her family members from the fast-moving fire that engulfed their home in Oakley, California on June 9. 'She is our hero,' the girl's mother, Nena Morgan, told to CBS, as she recounted the terrifying sequence of events. Several beloved pets did not survive the blaze and one of the family's dogs is still missing. Lizzy was awake in the early hours of the morning when disaster struck at the family’s home, roughly 50 miles east of San Francisco. While the rest of the house slept soundly the fourth-grader was playing video games when at around 3am she noticed that the power had suddenly cut out. It was the first clue for her that something was terribly wrong.   'She freaked out and looked out the window to see what was going on,' Lizzy's mom said. Nena Morgan credits her 10-year-old daughter Lizzy with saving the family from the fire The fire began to take hold at approximately 3am, when Lizzy noticed a suspicious power cut Lizzy rushed to alert her family as the fire spread rapidly through the house Within moments the youngster realized the outage was no ordinary electrical malfunction. Smoke and flames had already begun consuming external parts of the property. It prompted Lizzy to spring into action, assisted by her brother Lucas. The duo immediately rushed through the smoke filled house, waking everyone and shouting for relatives to get out. The Morgan family, which included four adults and three children inside the home at the time, had only moments to react. According to Morgan's mother, the situation deteriorated at an alarming speed. 'My husband got up and verified what was going on,' she said. 'Flames were already coming through our oldest daughter’s bedroom.' A team of firefighters arrived at 3.29am after receiving reports from concerned neighbors who saw the flames By the time all family members were fully awake, flames were ripping through sections of the house, leaving little opportunity to salvage belongings. The family scrambled outside, managing to escape with only the clothes they had been sleeping in. At 3.29am firefighters responded at the scene after callers reported seeing flames in the garage area of the property. However, the firefighters faced dangers of their own. Responders found downed active power lines near the property, creating additional hazards while they worked to contain the blaze and ensure everyone had safely evacuated, according to Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. 'We arrived on scene to have the front of the house on fire, with the power lines between the pole and the house had dropped onto the ground. They were actively arcing, hindering our initial fire attack,' said Fire Chief Jeff Burris. Investigators are still working to determine an exact cause of the fire. The Morgans noted that there have been other recent fires in the neighborhood, including one in their backyard two weeks ago, according to KTVU. Three of the family's beloved pets died in the fire and a dog is still missing 'Nobody knows why my backyard caught on fire in the middle of the day. Nobody knows why my house caught fire in the middle of the night with all of us in there,' Lizzy's mother said. As investigators search for answers, the family said they are grateful they escaped with their lives. 'I don’t even know if we would have made it if we were all asleep,' Lizzy's mother added. While the family escaped with their lives, two dogs and the family cat perished during the blaze. One of the animals is thought to have died from smoke inhalation as firefighters battled the heavy flames. The house itself, which the family had been living in for 14 years, suffered irreparable damage. The dramatic rescue has sparked an outpouring of support from the local community, with neighbors and well-wishers rallying around the family through Spotfund donations and offers of assistance as they attempt to recover from the devastating loss. The Daily Mail has reached out to Nena Morgan for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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