Emma Schols, a Swedish mum of six, risked her life and survived 93% burns to rescue her children.
Her bravery saw her named Lifeguard of the Year 2020 at the Swedish Heroes Gala.
The Night The Fire Started
In September 2019, Emma was home alone with her children when flames broke out downstairs.
Her two youngest sons had gone down moments earlier, so she immediately rushed after them.
Emma explained: “My only thought was that I had to get the boys who had taken shelter in the playroom out.”
But as she opened the front door, the fire caught oxygen and exploded.
She threw herself over her sons to shield them from the flames.
“When the flames hit me, it was as if my whole back was on fire,” she recalled.
Emma managed to throw the boys outside and lock the door so they wouldn’t run back in.
“If I birthed six kids, I’m gonna get six kids out.”
Upstairs, her other children were trapped. Emma shouted for them to get onto the balcony.
By then, the staircase was already engulfed in flames.
“For each step I thought ‘this is not possible,’ but I kept going,” Emma said.
The soles of her feet burned away as she climbed.
Her daughter Nellie, 9, jumped to get help from a neighbour, while eldest son William, 11, lowered a ladder.
When Emma reached the balcony, her children were shocked.
“I was bleeding and had open burns all over my body,” she recalled.
Her chest skin was peeling, and her hair was completely burnt.
Going Back For Mollie
Emma suddenly realised her youngest, one-year-old Mollie, wasn’t on the balcony.
She said: “I thought if she’s still in there then she’s probably not alive anymore but I have to try.”
Ignoring her children’s pleas not to go back inside, she crawled into the thick smoke.
Through the haze, she spotted Mollie still crying in her crib.
“I only had my own body, no blanket, no protection, only myself and my mother’s heart.”
She grabbed her daughter and staggered back to the balcony.
Every step down the ladder burned her bleeding feet.
At the bottom, Emma collapsed in agony, but her children were safe.
Clinging To Life
Emma’s six children escaped without injuries.
But she was left with burns covering 93% of her body, far beyond typical survival rates.
She was placed on a respirator for three weeks, hovering between life and death.
Her last promise before surgery was to her son William: she swore she would come home again.
That vow became her mantra during recovery.
When she woke up in hospital, her first words were: “Are the children alive?”
It took six weeks before her children could visit.
“Youngest Mollie did not recognise me. That was probably the hardest part,” Emma admitted.
With her face and body transformed by burns, her baby daughter turned away in fear.
Recovery And Recognition
Against all odds, Emma recovered quickly.
Doctors at the burn unit in Uppsala took her photo as proof of what survival could look like.
They admitted no one expected her rehabilitation to be so fast.
By the spring, she was back home with her children, living in a temporary apartment while their house was rebuilt.
She returned to daily rehab, but also to horseback riding and adventures with her kids.
Emma reflected: “Now they recognise me again. The fire and what we have been through has left traces all over my body, and has affected the whole family. But what we have been through has also brought us closer. Today I take nothing for granted and am grateful for every day we have together.”
At the Heroes Gala, her son William also shared his feelings.
“I sometimes thought that I might never see my mother again. But now I get to see her every day and I will always be happy.”
Featured image credit: Family handouts & Aftonbladet
