Family saved from fire by switched-on little brother

DO you know someone like brave 12-year-old Alex Mastrilli? Today is the last day to nominate a local legend for the Pride of Australia awards - get them in by 5pm.

Alex Mastrilli 12 (centre) alerted his two older siblings (Adam 21 and Carina 19) to a fire in their house in the middle of the night. The kids escaped but the house was burnt to the ground. His family has nominated him for a Pride of Australia award. Picture: Kylie Else

A SHOVEL, a lawnmower and a melted piggy bank are all that remains of 26 years of Mastrilli family life.

Furniture handcrafted by Domenic, a shawl knitted by Sonia’s late sister, and their three children’s baby books were among the precious items lost when fire engulfed their Mill Park home.

But their children — who had been fast asleep — escaped unharmed.

Firefighters say 12-year-old Alex saved his older siblings’ lives.

“The sentimental things, you can’t replace those, but then I think ‘I’ve got my kids’,” said Mrs Mastrilli, who was away in Lorne with her husband the night of the fire.

“Alex saved my family. They wouldn’t be here without him.”

Adam, 21, Carina, 19, and their two friends woke to their brother’s screams about 4am on July 13.

Alex had run through the house to their aid after noticing smoke and hearing fire crackle under the floor.

He dashed downstairs to the site of the smoke — his dad’s wood workshop — then outside to find a garden hose to wet the room.

The group ran out to the yard, guided by the light from their mobile phones, and scaled a fence to safety.

“The bedrooms were already in flames when they were climbing the fence,” Mrs Mastrilli said. If Alex had not gone to investigate why his bedroom lamp wasn’t working, lives might have been lost.

Mr and Mrs Mastrilli have nominated their youngest for a Pride of Australia medal.

“I’m very proud and in awe that he managed to think straight in a situation that could have been a lot worse,” Mrs Mastrilli said.

Today is the last day to nominate a local legend for the Pride of Australia awards. Nominate by 5pm.