Three individuals who had lost their sense of smell to COVID-19 narrowly escaped disaster on Friday, when the fourth member of their family smelled something burning and rushed to alert them. Bianca Rivera, the single resident of the Waco, TX, home who had not contracted the coronavirus, reported smelling smoke at roughly 2:00 AM. She knew right away that she needed to alert the rest of the family.
Bianca propped open the back door of their house and woke the rest of the family one by one, managing along the way to lead the family’s four dogs outside. Flames had engulfed the house by the time firefighters arrived, leaving the family with only the clothes on their backs.
“I don’t really count myself as a hero,” Bianca commented, “I just did what anyone would have done to save their family. We’re renting a motel room right now, and trying to find out what to do next.”
The Red Cross is assisting the family. Further details are not yet available.