Boy, 12, rescues grandmother from burning home
VERNONIA, Ore. – A 12-year-old boy carried his grandmother to safety after a propane heater exploded in their home and started a fire on Friday.
Seth Cutright said he smelled the leaking gas just before his grandmother, Rose Cutright, lit a cigarette and their home exploded in flames.
“It was like ‘boom.’ A flash before your eyes,” said Seth.
The fire broke out just before 3 p.m.
Seth and Rose were the only family members home during the explosion and fire.
“My grandma was on fire,” he said. “Not completely on fire, just a little bit. Then when I was walking, it went out. I carried her outside and set her on the ground. I went to the next-door neighbor’s and said call the ambulance.”
The two are recovering at the Oregon Burn Center in Portland.
“I love you. I’m proud of you. You’re my hero,” Seth's father, Roger Cutright, said to his son.
Seth and Roger Cutright said they wanted to talk about the fire on TV because they are so grateful for the doctors at the burn center.
It took about three hours for firefighters to get the fire under control. They were able to save several cats and some chickens.
The Red Cross is helping the Cutright family.
Video courtesy KATU viewer Lisa Ragsdale
good job bro see ya in class gooo toppers
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I live right next to seth it was really hard to htink that this happend his grandma rose will be soon i belive good job sethÂ
What an impressive young man. We all admire and honor you Seth. You're proof that heroes are alive and well in this world.
Wow, Seth is a true hero!
"Now let me start by saying... Good for you son!  It's always good to see young people taking an interest in danger.  Now a lot of people are going to be telling you you're crazy,  and maybe they're right. But the fact of the matter is: Bones heal. Chicks dig scars. And the United States of America has the best doctor-to-daredevil ratio in the world! "
 -- Captain Lance Murdoch
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The Ratio for doctor to hero is even higher.
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Smoking is cool
These are the things we can learn from our children, bravo Seth!Â
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 @on shing dao What's fake about it? That he's a brave young man? That he saved his grandma's life? That he suffered severe burns during his act of heroism? Get a grip.
Seth,
You are a true Hero!!
Your courage and strength is amazing!Â
the scars you will have from the Heroic act are you'er badge of Honor! Be proud young Man!!
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Wow you're are the man. I am truly impressed with your courage, you are awesome.
You are a Brave young man Seth. There are many adults without the guts to do what you did.. Your whole community is proud of you.
My heart and prayers go out to the cutright family...You are a very brave boy with a great big heart it is good to see that there are still people in the world that Love there family and would do anything for them even risk your own life ...... I bet your grandmother is very proud of you...AND SO IS THE REST OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!!
Great job Seth! Hopefully all will work out great! And it will be interesting to find out what caused the leak? How long it had been leaking or was it a immediate failure of some kind. Something for others to look at to make sure something like this does not happen again.
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Again...Great Job Seth! A real hero!
This boy will have these scars the rest of his life, but they'll be a constant reminder of his act of selflessness, valor and love. He did what many would not do by turning fear and helplessness into strength and resolve. This single act saved a life and turned a boy into a man, a regular kid into a real life superhero. Great job Seth, you and your family should be very proud. Â
 @JeremyCMorgan Hopefully, the Doctors are right and he will heal completely, but you are right! If he is scarred, he should wear them with absolute pride !!! It took great courage to battle through the fear and the pain, to save his gramma's life. Few of us are ever put to that test, and Seth aced it. He is definitely a hero, in my books. (((Seth n gramma))) Praying for you both to heal quickly, and get back home, to a new start on life
What a super little dude. He loves his grandma and showed it the best way possibile even if it means scars for him. I am very proud of this young man!!!
Kudos to Seth. I'm sure your family is really proud of you. Good job.
I did cry when I read this article and saw Seth's face. Â I know he must be in terrible pain and what a brave thing he did! Â He saved a life and risked his own and also paid a hefty price. Â I am so sad that Grandma's careless actions led to permanent injury of her grandson, but my heart is full of pride and also empathy for this kid that I have never met.
 @oregonchick76 She may not have even realized there was a leak. There are a lot of people whose sense of smell doesn't work fully/properly and they may never smell something like that.
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I am proud of him for what he did and so sorry that he has to be in that pain. You're a hero, Seth.
  @oregonchick76 You know what damages your sense of smell?  Smoking. Â
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Pretty lame to smoke in the house with your grandkids. Â Glad the kid is okay!
What an amazing and couragous young man. He is a hero, he kept his cool, and he saved Grandma. Kudos to you Seth.Â
A TRUE Super Hero!!!!
Seth you are not a boy you proved yourself a man.
We love you,
Kerrie & Wes
What an amazing young man you are, Seth... and with a heart of gold. I wish you all the best in life, because you truly deserve it. You and gramma heal quickly... (((<3<3<3)))
Wow, what a brave kid! Way to go, Seth!!
Seth, you are one brave young man. Perhaps Granny will stop smoking and you'll have her around a little longer, too. Hope you both heal and that things work out for you and your family.
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Was there any word about a donation fund being set up for the family?
 @Mikey There is information for helping them via the Vernonia Community Bulletin Board on Facebook.  You may also try contacting the Vernonia Christian Church
Wow, what a hero young Seth is.   Maybe from now on Granny will stick to smoking outside.
Those are the marks of a hero, young man. Don't let anyone tell you any different.
I just got done reading through the comment thread. What started out as praise of a  brave young man soon turned into a bully pulpit for folks to air their own partisan stances.  Some commentors seem downright mean-spirited in their unsympathetic and callous remarks about the grandmother. Why has civil discourse become a casualty of the social media revolution? Let's all rally behind the bravery of this kid, and quit pushing our own agendas. Save the politics for the ballot  box.
 @Bill Scott I don't see anyone talking about politics and I don't see any callous remarks about the grandmother. What uncivil discourse are you refering to?
 @Bill Scott It's how people learn. It's okay to do both. Looking only at the positive is a feel good only, response. I look at that picture and see that Seth did good, but suffered dearly, too. Obviously if people are still smoking in their homes, with children, we still need to talk about. You know, for the slow learners out there.
Scars of courage, son. Always take pride in them.
What a fantastic young man! Seth was so brave to save his Grandmother when he himself must have been in such great pain from his own injuries. I am so proud of him!
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my goodness that was quite a story. Just trying not to think about what would have happen if the boy was gone too!!I heat with gas so this hits pretty close to home for me .I get the furnness checked yearly and clean it about every 4 to 5 months as lint seems to build up !!!.Good luck and hope we all learn something !
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Good goin' Seth. Took guts and courage.
do parents realize how their kids smell when smoking in the house .. the smell that reeks out of homes and cars and children are exposed to this uggh
Is there a fund setup for him or anything?
DON'T SMOKE IN YOUR HOUSE!! If you had practiced that - you'd still have a house...and a grandson who wasn't burned and had been inhaling second hand smoke!
All I can say is WOW!
Seth...you're a true hero :) Thank God you weren't hurt as badly as you could have been. People have a RIGHT to smoke or do whatever they want in the confines of their own home. I don't smoke...but I'm sick and tired of people who tell others what they can and can't do in their homes. Smoking has already been banned in numerous places making it very hard for people who do have this addiction. I'm more concerned as to why there were gas fumes. An old furnace not maintained properly? Gas line to the house compromised somehow? So NOTE TO GRANDMA...do whatever you want in your home....just keep up with maintenance on appliances that could present hazards.
 @Bewitchin1 So it turns out that Grandma had a propane tank attached to a gas heater, set up inside a closed room, while she puffed away on her cigarette, with her innocent grandson sitting there wondering what the smell of gas meant. All totally legal, and totally stupid. You still willing to defend her "free choices" to do "whatever she wants" in her home? I notice you haven't had the guts to respond to anyone who's disagreed with you here. Very typical of loudmouth idiots to also be cowards.
bewitchin1,
Grandma was doing what she probably always does. When I smoked in my work room, it had a fan exhausting the smoke outside, Or I smoked outside. When traveling, we would pull over to a rest area to smoke. I no longer smoke. She has the right to do what she wants, but needs to think about others at the same time. The child has the right to make his own choice to smoke when he is old enough. Right now though is not a good time
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He is a hero who saved a life, she might not have been able to get outside without his help.
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 @Bewitchin1 So it's acceptable to you to expose a child to a deadly toxic fume simply because it is someone's right by law?  I don't care if someone wants to kill themselves, but inflicting their deadly habits on children and animals who have no say or other options is NOT OK.
 @Bewitchin1 That's a rather ignorant stance, especially after what happened and given the evidence of the damage that second-hand smoke can do to nonsmokers. You tell granny to keep on smoking, that's it's OK to possibly shorten the lives of damage the health of her family. I feel sorry for your family.
@bewitchin1  You must be insane to defend smoking inside with children present. No one said she can't smoke in her house, just that it's pretty selfish to do that if kids are present.
@Bewitchin1  Anybodies rights are limited when they start to encroach on the rights of others. The grandmothers right to smoke in her own home must be limited because of the grandsons right to air that is free of carcinogens (cigarette smoke).  If she wants to smoke in her own home, she should not have the grandson there.
 @scared_citizen I was in no way insinuating that there should be a law that grandma can't smoke in her home. Just a message that she should care enough not to. Maybe she'll kick the habit during her time on the burn ward. Not that the fire wouldn't have ignited with the next available spark, but it's a great opportunity to tackle the habit.
@Lips  I also did not insinuate that there should be a law that grandma can't smoke in her home. I just believe that ones persons rights end where another persons rights begin. She can smoke in her own home when not forcing a minor to inhale that second hand smoke. As a minor, he can not even legally give his consent to it. If she wants to smkoke in her home, she needs to do so ONLY when her minor relatives are not in the home. Of course, if she had done so this day, she may have died. Perhaps its safer just not to smoke.
 @Lips I think the comments were meant for Bewitchin1.