Young Fairmount fire survivor finds bright future in football

PHILADELPHIA, PA. - Zykee Scott, 14, went from surviving one of the worst fires in Philadelphia history to thriving as a football star whose determination recently earned him an athletic scholarship to Penn State University.

Scott and his family narrowly escaped the January 2022 blaze in a Fairmount rowhouse that killed 12 of his neighbors, including nine children, in the unit above. Scott suffered numerous burns as he, his parents, and his younger brothers evacuated the building. 

Scott’s mother Tyhara, who saved her family’s lives by quickly waking them and carrying her children to safety when she realized the fire was raging, says that while the night’s events still linger in her mind, she prefers to focus on the fact that her family emerged whole.

"Certain things may happen, and it’ll come back to my mind, and I’ll get a little down. But as long as I have my family, I’m good," Tyhara says.

Scott credits his father Charles with giving him the perspective to turn his brush with tragedy into motivation that he channeled into football. 

"I pretty much told him, ‘You got a second chance in life, so you’ve got to take advantage of it,’" Charles tells FOX 29. "Because there’s a lot of people that wasn’t here, so you can’t take life for granted. You’ve got to wake up every day and give it your all, chase your dreams."

Scott, who dreams of one day making it to the National Football League, says he was "very happy and surprised" to receive a scholarship offer from Penn State in recognition of working towards his goal during his four-year football career. 

He will continue to develop his game this fall as he enters ninth grade at Imhotep Institute Charter High School’s leading football program.