Young Child Honored for Helping Save Family From Fatal Fire on Woodlawn Avenue

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- It’s not everyday that you hear about a 7-year-old alerting his family from a fire.

Dakota Mangold, a first grader at Zane Grey Elementary was celebrated by many yesterday in regards to the bravery he displayed when his house caught fire last December.

Unfortunately, the fatal fire took the life of the uncle, Cody Waller, but the Zanesville Fire Department said Dakota was still able to stay calm and notify the rest of the family just in time for them to exit through the windows. 

“A lot of 7-year-olds would have panicked. Truthfully, he did pretty good and yeah it’s been hard on the whole family, but they’re adjusting,” the father, Cory Mangold said.

The family explained how they teach Dakota and the rest of their children on what to do if something doesn’t seem right or if there is something out of ordinary.

“Basically anything that scares him or is dangerous to come get mom or dad and obviously fire is about as dangerous as you can get in the house so I think a lot of that helped him,” Corey Mangold stated.

He also talked about how parents and schools should take an extra step in educating children on fire safety because you never know what can happen.

During the celebration, Dakota Mangold presented his fire safety poster to the other children that showed the steps on what to do during a fire.

He also received recognition from his school teacher and staff, the American Red Cross and Zanesville Fire Department, who also gifted him with Toys.

“I feel proud about everything,” Dakota Mangold responded when asked how he feels to be honored. “And I’m happy that I got my family out and my baby brother.”

Corey Mangold expressed how the fire changed his family that day, but he is very proud of his son and through the support of additional family members and the community, they’ve been able to grow.