MILWAUKEE — A 13-year-old girl was rescued from a second-floor window after a fire broke out at her grandmother's Milwaukee home near 44th and Feibrantz.
Amaiyah Hill says she woke up to the sound of smoke alarms and quickly realized the home was on fire.
"I went downstairs, and I saw like smoke by the door," Amaiyah said.
When she looked further inside, she saw flames.
"And I poked my head through, and I saw fire on the fish tank. So I ran upstairs…" Amaiyah said.
Amaiyah closed the doors, ran back upstairs, called 911, and waited for help to arrive.
"So I basically grabbed my phone and called 911," Amaiyah said.
"A lot of smoke went in my face," Amaiyah said.
She then tried to signal for help from a window.
"And I started banging on the window that I was at, and they saw me," Amaiyah said.
Firefighters used a ladder to reach the second-floor window and pull her to safety.
Watch: Teen rescued from house fire
Her grandmother, Sonjra Terry, was at work when she got the call.
"My heart dropped to the floor," Terry said.
Terry, who had just started her shift with the City of Milwaukee, says she could not reach her granddaughter by phone.
"I was panicking because I couldn't get in contact with her and I didn't know if she was OK," Terry said.
"The first thought in my mind was my granddaughter is there," Terry said.
The fire tore through the first floor of the home, leaving burned walls and black soot across the living room. Wedding photos and memorabilia were among the items destroyed.
"See, our wedding picture up there has gotten burned," Terry said.
"All the wedding stuff that we had; we had just got married here in our home," Terry said.
Terry says the experience reinforced just how quickly a fire can spread.
"Fires are very unpredictable," Terry said. "When it comes, it comes like a wave."
She also had a message for other homeowners.
"We have to make sure that those smoke detectors are working," Terry said.
After 16 years working at the VA and now for the City of Milwaukee, Terry says her life has always been about helping others.
"I've always taken care of people," Terry said.
Now, as her family begins the long process of rebuilding, loved ones have created a GoFundMe to help her recover.
Through it all, Terry says what matters most is that her granddaughter made it out safely.
"She was more important than this house. Or anything that it holds," Terry said.
"My baby wouldn't be here if they didn't do what they did," Terry said.
The fire remains under investigation.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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