Firefighters from the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Station 8 and Station 1, along with Jim Lee, principal of Atlanta’s Immaculate Heart of Mary School, honored seventh-grader Lily Massey for her heroism during a house fire on June 24.

Massey, 12, awoke to the smell of smoke and the blare of a smoke detector. She alerted her parents, and everyone escaped the house. Firefighters from six fire stations rushed to the scene minutes after 911 was notified. However, the house was destroyed.

At a school assembly Massey was presented with one of the fire department’s highest awards for her heroism, the Life Saving Award.  In addition, the principal presented Massey with the IHM Hero Award for her quick actions and calm thinking.