'Hero': Boy, 7, in wheelchair saves family after gas leak

The boy's efforts to crawl into his parents' room saved everyone's lives. Photo / GoFundMe

A 7-year-old wheelchair-bound boy with cerebral palsy has been hailed a hero after he crawled to alert his family and saved them from a gas leak that could have claimed their lives.

Michael Martinez reportedly crawled to his parents' bedroom in the family home in Aledo, Texas, last Thursday after he heard an alarm go off downstairs.

His three cousins and aunt were also in the house, asleep.

Michael, who has never been able to walk, woke up his mum Angie. She initially thought her smoke alarm just needed a new battery but then both her and her husband realised the sound was coming from their carbon monoxide alarm.

She searched online for the meaning of the four beeps she could hear and discovered they meant a critical level of poisonous gas in the home.

The mother called a helpline and the whole family was advised to evacuate the house.

The family is fundraising for a power wheelchair for Michael. Photo / GoFundMe

In an interview with Fox News, the mum said she was already "feeling very sick and nauseous" and her sister was experiencing chest pains.

"We told him that he is our hero. If it wasn't for him, we probably never would have woken up," she said of her 7-year-old boy.

The gas leak reportedly began after a family member forgot one of the stove burners was on, which led to a carbon monoxide build-up in the home.

News of the boy's heroic actions quickly spread across the local community, including in his school, where he has also been hailed a hero for saving his family's lives.

The headlines about Michael's actions have led to a fundraising effort to buy Michael a new wheelchair, as well as fund medical treatment for the boy.

"Michael will be undergoing future surgeries and therapies to help him be able to walk. That is his desire of his heart is to one day walk. Let's help out this hero and please donate whatever God has put in your heart to give this hero," his aunt wrote on the GoFundMe page.

The page has raised nearly $5000 to date.