The parents of a baby girl rescued from a burning building by NYPD firemen Thursday morning are “speechless” and deeply grateful.
The dramatic recovery, captured on film, unfolded when a blaze started in a Brooklyn, New York, apartment around 2 a.m. Firefighters rushed to the scene to shatter windows and save trapped residents from high-up floors.
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While footage shows rescue workers helping numerous people exit the building, video of a 16-month-old baby girl being handed to a firefighter from the third floor has sparked the most attention.
The family of that child — whose name is Savanah — has spoken about the experience, with mom Nicole Martin telling WABC-TV she was petrified when the fire broke out.
“All I could think of was the fire in the Bronx,” Martin said, reflecting on the now-infamous January fire that killed 19. “And I was like, we’re going to die, we’re going to die.”
Her husband, Onex Aviles, further described the dire situation in which the family found itself.
“We looked through the peephole, and all you see is black,” he said. “So it was just impending doom. It was like we were in hell.”
Watch Martin and Aviles discuss the rescue:
Aviles knew they were running out of time, so he pulled an air conditioner out of the window, climbed down the building, and helped guide firefighters to his family’s location. Luckily, the situation had a happy ending.
Martin expressed great joy over the rescue and told WABC-TV that she doesn’t know the firefighter’s name who rescued her baby but is deeply grateful.
“Whoever you are, I don’t know your name,” she said. “But I appreciate you, and I love you.”
She also said her baby has already faced a number of challenges in life, including being born at just 1 pound. So, the child’s safe rescue was a profound relief.
“That’s my little miracle, my angel, that’s all I could think of,” Martin added. “She already went through so much, she don’t have to go through anymore.”
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
One woman who lives in the building told WNYW-TV she believes she might know the cause. She discovered her space heater was in flames and rushed to exit the building with her child. She is now left with nothing.
“When I got up, I went to the kitchen, and I just couldn’t believe that my space heater was on fire. It was on a low flame. I called 911,” she said. “As soon as the fire went up more, I tried to get water, I just ran out. I grabbed my child and ran out.”
Pray for those who lost everything and those recovering from the potentially-deadly scenario.
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