Teen Saves Family From House Fire in Plymouth, Wisconsin

Aryssa Ertman was making a to-do list in her upstairs bedroom when she noticed an unusual smell. Within 30 seconds, the 19-year-old Plymouth High graduate realized this wasn't someone cooking late at night.

She rushed to wake her youngest sister Taria, 10, who froze in fear at the top of the stairs. Aryssa grabbed her and pulled her down, pushing her out the front door to safety.

Then she ran back inside. Her sister Tailyn, 16, was still asleep on the living room couch.

Aryssa threw Tailyn over her shoulder and carried her outside. Meanwhile, their parents Terek and Mandy grabbed only cell phones and a purse before flames flashed across their dining room.

The family of five escaped barefoot into the February cold at 12:30 a.m. on Friday, February 6. Terek had the hair on the front of his head singed off, and Mandy suffered a burn on her ear. All five needed treatment for smoke inhalation.

Their historic home on Oak Road, built in the late 1800s and where Terek grew up, was declared a total loss. The family lost their three beloved pets: border collie Asha and tabby cat brothers Fred and George.

Sunny's Take

The Ertmans are now staying in Mandy's parents' two-bedroom condo in Sheboygan Falls while they search for a rental home. But they're not facing this challenge alone.

Their community rallied immediately. Red Shorts Café, where Tailyn works, organized a collection. Donations poured in from neighbors, friends, and strangers alike.

"We've gotten a lot of support and have a lot of people to lean on, so that makes this easier to bear," Mandy said just four days after losing everything. She called the outpouring of help "astonishing."

Despite functioning on little sleep and processing the trauma, both parents remained remarkably composed. "We are only able to be like this because we haven't had to worry about a thing," Mandy explained.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined, though the family suspects it may have started near their kitchen space heater or gas stove. Several smoke alarms didn't activate until the family was already fleeing, and one didn't sound until two days later.

"Had any one thing not played out the way it did, it could have been otherwise," Mandy reflected. "Aryssa truly was the hero in this whole story."