Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and species. Usually, humans get all of the attention. But once in a while, an obvious case of strange and selfless reality appears that\u2019s not from a human. This is the story of Louie the parrot, who on a fateful early morning when his family was sound asleep, screeched \u201cFIRE\u201d repeatedly and frantically. His screeches alerted the family of three to a fiery danger.<\/p>\n
The amazing thing about Louie is that the family says, to their knowledge, the parrot had never learned or uttered the word before. Regardless of how he learned to use it in a time absolutely necessary for the family\u2019s survival, Louie\u2019s intervention saved their lives even as he lost his in the blaze.<\/p>\n
On February 3, 2020, Larry and Barbara Klein of Lebanon, Tennessee, and their young granddaughter were asleep when Louie woke them. A fire started in the kitchen and spread to the living room. Mr. Klein attempted to extinguish the fire but was unsuccessful. With his wife and granddaughter evacuated, Larry Klein returned to save his four dogs and two birds but was too late. The animals were tragically lost in the blaze.<\/p>\n
As a result of returning to the house in his attempt to save the animals, Mr. Klein suffered severe smoke inhalation and incurred minor burns. He was put into a medical coma to be treated. The house was completely engulfed by the blaze with all belongings destroyed.<\/p>\n
The community came together for the family. Many offered clothing while one person rented an apartment for three months as a base to help the family get back on their feet. The person who rented the apartment also gifted the Kleins with a new 2-month-old baby parrot. The Kleins named the parrot Louie Jr. in memory of the bird that literally saved their lives.<\/p>\n
Louie is hailed as \u201ca true hero\u201d by Barbara Klein. She states that it\u2019s likely they would not have awoken to the dangers of the rapidly spreading fire if it were not for the repeated warnings squawked by Louie. For the rest of us, Louie is definitely a hero. We will never know the circumstance surrounding his acquisition of the word \u201cfire,\u201d but it matters not. The fact is that Louie saved his caretakers from likely death. For that, Louie deserves every headline that hailed his heroic action for the family.<\/p>\n