A Washington, D.C. firefighter is being called a hero after his quick thinking saved a baby who was released from a second-floor window of a burning apartment building.
On Sunday night, DC Fire and EMS crews responded to a report of a building fire in Southeast Washington. Firefighter Jared McKinney said a man, who later turned out to be the child’s father, was sitting on a window sill holding the child as the flames spread inside. McKinney said with little time to act, the man yelled to him and told him to catch the child right before dropping the him.
“He told me … ‘catch my child, don’t drop him,’ and he dropped the child down, and I caught the child,” McKinney said.
Miraculously, McKinney caught the child and saved him from any injury. McKinney said it wasn’t an easy catch because the child came down feet first, and he had to avoid getting kicked in the face.
“When he dropped the child down, I extended my arms, and when I felt the child made contact, I just cradled the child to my body,” said McKinney.
Firefighters got the dad, mom and another small child out of the building and to safety using an extension ladder.
No one was injured.
For McKinney and his crewmates at Engine 25, the rescues are all part of a night’s work.
“I’m just happy that we were here to do our job and do it to the best of our ability and make sure that everybody was able to safely go home,” said McKinney.
