Baby rescued from St Albans house fire
BRAVE firefighters fought their way through a smoke-filled house to rescue an infant sleeping upstairs in a cot. It is believed the fire started in a granny annexe kitchen on the ground floor of a large detached house in Abbey Avenue, St Albans, on Friday
BRAVE firefighters fought their way through a smoke-filled house to rescue an infant sleeping upstairs in a cot.
It is believed the fire started in a granny annexe kitchen on the ground floor of a large detached house in Abbey Avenue, St Albans, on Friday at around 1.30pm.
Three fire engines rushed to the scene where they found an elderly gentleman outside the house with a 13-month old baby reported to be inside.
A fire service spokesperson said: "Six crew members wearing breathing apparatus used two hosereels and began a search of the property. They were not aware of the location of the child but quickly found a small child in a cot in the back bedroom."
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The rescued child was treated by ambulance personnel who were already on the scene.
The baby appeared to be fine but was taken to hospital for a precautionary check. The elderly man received first aid at the scene.
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Mrs Irene Hewitt, a near neighbour, said: "The firefighters were brilliant. They risked their lives going into a burning building and saved that child's life. I have nothing but admiration for these first-class firefighters and the police were promptly on the scene too and closed the road to traffic. "
Tony Morrison, Group Commander, St Albans and Dacorum, said: "Our crews did a fantastic job by suppressing the fire, finding and rescuing the child. Their prompt action undoubtedly saved the child's life."
The family's next door neighbour, who was sheltering them after the fire, said the firefighters acted promptly and bravely and she could not speak highly enough of their endeavours.
Fortunately the family's smoke alarms were all in place and working and alerted the elderly gentleman to the danger.
An investigation is being carried out to find the cause of the fire.
