The bond between relatives is so strong that people say they would do anything for their family. One man in Aberdeen, Washington, actually lived out that scenario, proving he really would do just about anything. He bravely saved the life of his 8-year-old niece, endangering himself in the process, by rushing into a burning building and bringing her out to safety.

20-year-old Derrick Byrd was on the scene when his sister Kayla’s house caught fire with her and her three young kids still inside. According to KOMO reports, the house ended up being a total loss after the blaze started on the second floor. It was a miracle that Derrick was there during this catastrophe for his family. He and Kayla were doing their best to get the kids to safety. Derrick caught his two nephews Junior and little baby Rory as they plummeted from the window, but his niece Mercedes was still stuck in the house. She was just too terrified to jump.

Derrick heard Mercedes calling his name, which switched on the superhero mode inside of him. “So I wasn’t just going to let her sit there,” He told KOMO. “I wasn’t going to let my niece die.” He raced into the building and grabbed the little girl, protecting her face with his shirt as he bolted out again. Both he and his niece were rushed to the hospital and treated for their burns. Speaking from his hospital bed, with a face wrapped in gauze treating his 2nd and 3rd-degree burns, the loving uncle said, “I’d run back in there and do it again even if I got burnt worse or died.”