By FireRescue1 Staff
NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. — An assistant fire chief is being hailed a hero after catching a baby that was dropped from a second-story balcony by her father when their apartment caught fire.
KSTP reported that North St. Paul Assistant Fire Chief Dustin Kalis responded to an apartment blaze and “heard a call for help.”
“I heard a call for help, scanned the building and saw a dad coming out with his baby,” Chief Kalis said.
The father said he had no other option after waking up to his 3-month-old baby crying and realizing there was too much smoke to exit through his apartment door, and Chief Kalis said there was no time to react.
“He came out, baby in arms. I got underneath and said let her go, we’re ready, he dropped her, I caught her, passed her off to another firefighter to check her out, and then he made his way down as we coached him down from the balcony as well,” Chief Kalis said.
Chief Kalis added that he’s glad the two were not hurt.
“I can’t imagine what that dad was going through. I’m glad I could help out and it didn’t get any worse and the outcome was good,” he said.
https://www.facebook.com/NSPFD/posts/2015603445117906 https://www.facebook.com/NSPFD/photos/a.980927411918853.1073741829.171368656208070/2016821814996069/?type=3&theater