Katy Carlson was playing Xbox in the living room of her Orange County (Calif.) condominium when she heard a boom from the garage.

The 10-year-old rushed to the garage, opened the door, and saw smoke and flames. One of Katy’s cats slipped past her from the burning garage into the house. Katy grabbed her iPhone and tapped out 9-1-1, just like her parents had taught her.

“Excuse me … excuse me, um, there’s a fire in my house,” she told the dispatcher, breathing rapidly.

Orange County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher Jennifer Demers worked to keep Katy calm, asking for the girl’s address and whether anyone was home with her. “Don’t hang up, OK, I’m going to help you, OK,” Demers said.

“OK,” Katy responded. “Because I’m really scared.”

Katy’s quick thinking brought firefighters within minutes.

Six fire engines and two firetrucks carrying about 40 firefighters put out the March 27 fire within 30 minutes, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi said. Damage to neighboring condos was minimized as a result, Concialdi said.

The Sheriff’s Department invited Katy to its emergency communications center on Santiago Canyon Road on Friday to meet Demers, who greeted Katy with a big hug.

“She stayed calm and she knew her address, and as soon as I asked her a question, she gave an answer,” Demers said. “She couldn’t have done it any better. It was perfect.”

Katy had just arrived home from school. Her father was up the street running an errand and her mother was at work. Katy ran out through a side door, hopped a fence and grabbed her 11-year-old brother, Cannon, who was playing ring toss. Her older sister Chloe, 15, was still at school.

“I heard a boom,” Cannon said, “but I thought it was Katy turning up the TV or something.”

The blaze destroyed the garage, home to a 1951 Chevy Bel Air Deluxe that Katy’s father was saving for his son. The smoke and fire severely damaged the two-floor condo and most of the contents, causing about $275,000 in damage, Concialdi said.

The Carlsons were renting the home but had no insurance, said Christy Carlson, Katy’s mother. The family’s two cats haven’t been found; they’re hoping the animals escaped through an open window.

The Carlsons have been staying at a Foothill Ranch hotel since the fire. Christy Carlson said they’re hoping to find a new home in the next couple of weeks.

“Out of this, my neighbors and my community have rallied behind my family, and it has been so heartwarming and amazing to me,” she said. “If it weren’t for them, I would be curled up in a ball. This community is holding me up.”