GLACE BAY, N.S. -- Fifteen-year-old Allison Evely can hardly believe what happened at her home on Monday.

She says she was in her bedroom at about 11 o'clock in the morning when the lights flickered.

A short time later, she smelled something burning.

"So, me and my sister go to try and find what's burning, and we go downstairs, and see my kitchen in flames," Evely said.

She says she knew she and her two younger siblings had to get out fast.

"Me and my sister went out through my window and got to the roof," Evely said. "And my brother, he grabbed all of our kittens and I grabbed my dog."

By the time their mother rushed home from work, all of her children -- and pets -- had gotten out safely.

"Nothing can describe what goes through your head when you hear that there's a house fire," said Shirley Evely. "All you're worried about is making sure that the kids got out.My heart was just swelling with pride at the fact they knew exactly what to do."

After Glace Bay Fire Chief John Chant and his crew were done putting out the flames, he realized that the children escaped because they had put the lessons he taught into practise.

"I was informed by the older teenaged daughter, that it was because of the fire prevention programs that the Glace Bay Fire Department does in the school systems."

Chant says it was one of the most gratifying moments of his 27 years in fire service.

"We always just wondered in the back of our minds 'Is it working?' And today, we found the answer to that," Chant said.

And, he says, it's a lesson that may have saved lives today, but that he isn't the one who should be getting the credit.

"The true hero today is a 15-year old girl," Chant said.

The irony is, their parents had let them stay home from school today because of heavy rain and it seems the most valuable lesson had already been learned.

"What he's taught them is what kept them here with me," said Shirley Evely. "And, on his side of things, they came here and responded so fast that the house is still standing."

It's an amazing example of putting education into practice -- and quick thinking at the most crucial time.