12-Year-Old Dies Trying To Save Brother From Fire — Didn't Know Brother Was Already Safe

As the flames spread throughout his family’s two-story residence in Milwaukee, young Adrian tried to save his siblings, but became trapped on the second floor, his grandmother, June Cross, told FOX 6.

“He went in to get his brothers,” she told the news station. “That’s what he was trying to do.”

But in the chaos of the emergency, Adrian was unaware that his 10 family members had already escaped the burning home and reached safety.

“All of a sudden, [the family] started screaming,” Cross said of the realization Adrian was still inside.

The Milwaukee Fire Department did their best to reach the boy in time and encountered intense flames as they attempted to reach the second floor.

“They were encountering extreme heat at the top of those stairs,” Milwaukee Fire Department Deputy Chief Aaron Lipski told CBS 58. “They pushed forward anyway, they were able to locate one victim.”

Tragically, Adrian was pronounced dead at the scene.