As The Flash, Barry Allen is responsible for saving Central City citizens (and others) on a regular basis, but that kind of heroism doesn't often factor in its viewers' lives. However, 13-year-old Delaware native Damir Carter experienced just such a life-saving jolt when his recent Flash binge-watch was interrupted by a destructive house fire. Amazingly, Damir was able to get his mother to safety before their home was engulfed in flames.
To start the story off with some hindsight-fueled bemusement, Damir Carter had been told by his mother to head to his room for a 9:30 p.m. bedtime, though the teen did not fully obey those wishes. He ended up watching The Flash episodes on his phone, and was in the midst of said binge session around 1:00 a.m. when the fire broke out and became noticeable.
Because he was still awake and invested in the latest adventures from Barry and the rest of Team Flash, Damir was able to hear the sounds of things breaking elsewhere in the house, which he initially thought was a pet cat mucking about in the bathroom. He tried checking on the feline, which is when he realized there was smoke in the hallway, and he was able to see the fire.
Damir Carter's dad was out of the house for an overnight shift at work, though that information wasn't known by the son, whose screams for his parents alerted his mom Angela Borden. Together, the mother and son went through the house popping doors open to try saving the family's assortment of pets. Sadly, at least eight of their animals perished in the trailer's flames, including four dogs, three bearded dragons and a cat.
The family was obviously heartbroken to lose their pets and the various possessions within the house that could not be saved from the fire. According to NBC Philadelphia, though, Angela Borden said that she was just happy that she and her son made it through the ordeal safely. In her words
If he was not awake I don't know the outcome, because as soon as I had found out, it was about four minutes and my kitchen was in flames. . . . He didn't get grounded this time.
According to authorities, the family's home caught fire due to a malfunctioning power strip that overheated, with too much electricity going through it. Shockingly, this is the second time the family lost their home to a house fire. A previous home had burned down four years earlier.
It's too bad Barry Allen wasn't around at the time, since he can do that whole windmill thing with his arms that would have extinguished the flames immediately...unless it would have just pushed the flames around even more. In any case, Damir Carter currently has a better average track record of keeping people safe than Barry does, since Flashpoint will always be a thorn in the Scarlet Speedster's craw.
The Flash will thankfully be returning from its winter hiatus soon, with the midseason premiere hitting The CW on Tuesday, January 15, at 8:00 p.m. ET. That episode will feature the latest casting addition -- The Vampire Diaries vet Gabrielle Walsh as Silver Ghost -- and will also hopefully answer a bunch of the questions we still have about where Season 5 is going, including what Nora's plans with Reverse-Flash are.
To see what new and returning shows will be hitting the airwaves and streaming waves soon, head to our 2019 midseason premiere schedule.
