- Thirteen-year-old Jordan Hoffman saved his family from their burning home.
- He believes his sister's spirit gave him the courage to jump into action.
- The teen is grateful his family walked away unharmed.
Not all heroes wear capes. But 13-year-old Jordan Hoffman from Tafelsig in Cape Town is being hailed a hero after saving his family of eight from a fire in their home.
"We can rebuild the house. All the clothes I lost don't matter to me. As long as my family is safe, I am not worried about what I lost," Jordan told News24.
He was alerted to the inferno by the screams of neighbours and residents banging on the front door at 01:00 on Monday, 26 September. The Wendy house, behind their home, which the family used for storage, had caught alight. Flames started spreading to the rest of the house.
In a split second, and without a second thought, Jordan quickly grabbed his four-month-old baby brother, Malachi, and took him to safety.
The shy teenager said:
"The smoke would have engulfed him if he had been inside any longer," he added.
After handing his baby brother to residents in the street, Jordan returned to wake the rest of his family. He kicked his brother in the head before rushing to wake his mother and her boyfriend.
"I ran back in and kicked him so he could bump his head. I called out to my mother, but she was in a deep sleep. I shook her awake before knocking on my grandma's door to wake her."
He said he believed his sister, Malicia who died at birth, guided him during the blaze that night. She would have turned 15 this year. As the oldest of his siblings, Jordan said he did what his sister would have done had she been alive.
The fire ripped through two houses in Real Madrid Street, leaving 20 people homeless. All eight family members made it out alive thanks to Jordan's quick thinking and valiant efforts.
His mother, Maymoena Hoffman, 34, told News24 she was proud of her son, adding she knew things could have ended differently.
Maymoena teared up as she reflected on what had happened that evening.
"He was not thinking about himself. He put his family first. Thinking about the smallest and then us," she said.
If the community had not come to knock on their door to wake them up, the family believes they probably would not have made it.
While the family now looks to rebuild their lives after the fire, Jordan said he was grateful to have them with him after what happened.
"My family is my gold. You don't get anything more valuable than your family."