Three weeks ago Catherine Ritchie says she was getting ready for bed when she noticed that the head of her bed was covered in flames.
The four boys, 14 to 17 years old, were outside and noticed a burning smell.Then they heard an alarm go off.
Richie says “the smoke was so bad, I couldn't see to get out of my room.I felt along the wall, and I went into the closet instead of the door to get out of the room. I finally did get to the door."
While she tried to feel her way out, the boys jumped into action, trying to break down doors to get inside.
Nick Byrd, 14, managed to get through the back door and ran inside, finding Ritchie in the hall, lost in the smoke.
She says “he picked me up, and I said, 'I can walk,' and he said, 'We're getting out of here.'"
Ritchie made it out safe. So did the boys, and firefighters stopped the flames before they spread.
One of Ritchie's daughters, wrote a blog post thanking the four boys on behalf of her entire family. She wrote “Thank you for your selfless acts of heroism and courage. Thank you for not allowing this to be the tragic end to our mother’s amazing life. Thank you for staying with her, hugging her, and helping her feel less alone until we could get to her. Thank you for being the kind of young men who thought about another person above yourselves. Thank you for staying safe yourselves as well. Thank you to your parents who obviously raised you in such a way that lead to you making life saving and heroic decisions on behalf of someone else. Thank you for more than we know how to thank you for! We will forever be indebted to the time you bought for us and the example you set for us. God Bless each of you for being such a blessing to us.”