Indiana family thanks firefighters who came to their rescue

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Lion the cat cowered under 9-year-old Caitlyn Kirby's bed as smoke filled her house Dec. 17 and strangers dressed in odd, bulky clothes trudged around with fire hoses.

One of those strangers, Wabash Township volunteer firefighter Ben Box, was searching for Lion. The moment he found the feline, Box became Caitlyn's hero.

For Christmas, Caitlyn wanted to hug and thank the firefighter who saved her cat, the Journal & Courier reported (http://on.jconline.com/1JePL0w ). That wish came true Wednesday, when Caitlyn and her sisters, Ryleigh and Raygan, 5, and the girls' parents, Billy and Candace True, thanked Wabash firefighters during their monthly meeting.

"I could have never told her that something happened to her baby," Candace told firefighters Wednesday as she explained Caitlyn's attachment to Lion. "She treats him like he's human. He is everything to her. It means the world to us."

Box replied, "He was right underneath your bed, so he definitely likes you."

"Get a good look at him," Candace told her daughter as Caitlyn laughed a shy, nervous giggle. "He saved the most important thing in your whole, entire life."

"I'm really glad I got to meet you, too," Box said. "It means a lot. We don't always get thanks, so I appreciate it. I'm really happy that you're OK, the cat's OK."

Box shared the credit for rescuing the cat and putting out the fire.

"It was all the guys there," he said. "I was the one who got the cat. But there was another guy in there with me. . Really everyone there; it's a team sport."

Box gave the True family a tour of the fire station, showing the girls the trucks, which Raygan declared looked bigger than when they were at their house.

In addition to rescuing Lion, firefighters saved most of the True family's Christmas gifts from their rented home in the 300 block of Vicksburg Lane. But the family of five was homeless - adrift in a relatively new community and without renters' insurance.

In the hours after the fire, the True family realized they weren't adrift. They were surrounded - by people who wanted to help them through the rough patch.

Members from their congregation at Calvary Baptist Church helped rummage through their fire-damaged belongings and moved them into the Safe Haven House at Faith East Church. The recommendation to allow the family to stay there came from the Red Cross. And then there were the many strangers who offered help, providing the family Christmas presents, furniture, clothes and household items.

"They all just wrapped their arms around us and walked with us through it and made sure we had everything we needed," Candace said. "We just couldn't have done it without everybody. We're so grateful."

They've paid it forward, too, donating extra items to families who have been through a fire since theirs.

"It could have been really, really bad, but instead it turned out to be OK," she said. "We've had a tremendous amount of help from the community. We've been very blessed. We have a beautiful home now - completely furnished with everything we could ever want and need. We're very grateful to everyone involved."

Billy said, "It's all from God working through people."

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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com