By Sarah Nelson
Star Tribune
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — On the morning of May 31, 2024, Eden Prairie’s emergency responders sprung into action after a call came in of a townhome ablaze with an adult and four small children inside.
Firefighters Josh Privette, Michael Do and Assistant Chiefs Justin Johnson and Matt Worthington rushed to the burning residence on Cardiff Lane. But as the fire crew responded to the scene, conflicting reports rolled in about what they would soon encounter.
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Bystanders and 911 callers told police that the townhome was empty by the time the firefighters arrived. Others said the youngest child, an infant, was still inside the burning home.
Without a hose, the firefighters entered the townhouse through a door on the first floor. High heat filled the air while the blaze churned up smoke so thick that they couldn’t see their own hands in front of their faces.
After searching the first floor, they approached a smoky bedroom on the second level. As they scoured the space, Privette’s boot brushed up against a bundle of blankets. Looking down, they found the 9-month-old baby in a playpen.
The heroic rescue was recounted on Thursday while the firemen were awarded the U.S. Attorney’s Office Hometown Hero award, an award accolade timed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
“Waiting for clarity was the easy decision. These four men made the hard one,” said U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, who presented the award to the crew during a ceremony at the Eden Prairie firehouse attended by fellow first responders who helped fight the fire.
They carried the baby out of the house, and it was whisked to the children’s hospital in Minneapolis. The baby resumed breathing on the way.
“Because of what these four men did in the space of a few minutes, that child is alive today,” Rosen said.
Investigators later learned the fire was started by the baby’s father, Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi, 24, who was on probation for violating a restraining order that barred him from contacting the infant’s mother. According to court records, Abdullahi doused a bag of clothes with a gas can and lit it near the entrance of the home where the mother lived. Abdullahi had sent the baby’s mother a text two days before, saying “when I see u I’m smoke u.”
Damage from the fire caused the townhome’s garage roof to collapse and also melted the front doorknob. Abdullahi pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge and was sentenced to 15 years in prison last month.
Eden Prairie Fire Chief Scott Gerber said the life-saving outcome was the result of the collaboration between the city’s first responders that morning.
“What they were able to do to rescue that child wouldn’t have happened without the great work of our police department, the things they were doing on the outside as well as other crew members,” Gerber said.
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