SHELBY, N.C. -- Playing video games gets 9-year-old Davien Hayden up early every morning.

"I usually want to get up and want to play Mortal Kombat," said Hayden.

On Tuesday, the routine turned out to be a lifesaver.

"I got up and heard glass and it fell. I got up and smelled the air and it smelled like smoke," recounted Hayden. "I ran back in and said 'real fire, get out of the house.'"

Six other people were inside the home on East Avenue in Shelby, including Hayden's three young nieces and nephews and his sister.

"It was so fast, the bathroom was barely on fire when I got the kids out, and when I came back in, it was engulfed," said Heidi Feilke, Hayden's sister.

The fire destroyed the home, but thanks to Hayden, all seven family members made it out alive.

"Those seconds that he gave us saved everybody. Had it been minutes more it would've been a disaster," said Feilke.

Hayden credits his actions to the drills he practices at home and in school.

His family calls Hayden a hero. While he's comfortable with saving lives, Hayden's a bit uneasy about his celebrity status.

"Too much fame, dude," said Hayden.

The family was renting the home and did not have insurance.

The fire is still under investigation, and officials have not determined a cause.