By Kathy Adams
The Virginian-Pilot
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Hope Scott and her fellow firefighters pulled up to a blazing house in the 4600 block of Jeanne St. at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
They found a crowd of people standing outside, smoke and flames pouring from the home’s first floor and a woman perched on the porch roof. They helped the woman down, but all she could say was, “I’m fine. I’m fine. My baby’s in there. Just go get my baby.”
Scott searched for the 16-month-old child, but the smoke inside the home was so thick that she could see only an inch or two in front of her face, she later recounted in an interview with The Virginian-Pilot. After a few minutes, she heard shallow, raspy breaths coming from the side of an air mattress in one of the bedrooms.
She found the baby lying on the floor next to the bed, scooped her up and took her outside. Meanwhile, other firefighters rescued a 73-year-old woman who was barely conscious on a staircase inside.
The child received treatment at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, where she remained in critical condition Tuesday evening. The woman, who suffered serious smoke-inhalation injuries, remained in critical condition at Sentara Leigh Hospital. The Fire Department did not release their names.
Scott and the woman from the porch roof suffered minor heat and smoke injuries and received hospital treatment before being released, said Battalion Chief Tim Riley, a spokesman for the Fire Department.
Ten people staying at the home were displaced, but were receiving help from relatives, he said.
Investigators determined that the fire started when an overloaded extension cord shorted out and lit a box of combustible material, Riley said. The blaze started in the home’s garage, which had been converted into an apartment, he said.
A resident found the fire and tried to put it out, but it spread before everyone in the home could get out, Riley said. A smoke detector didn’t work because its battery, found later, had been put in backwards, according to a news release from the Fire Department.
That’s why it’s important that residents check their smoke detectors regularly and evacuate immediately if they find a fire in their home, Riley said.
It took about two dozen firefighters roughly 20 minutes to get the fire under control, Riley said.
Scott said she’s just glad they were able to prevent a death.
“We went inside and we found people, but we couldn’t have done it without the people outside extinguishing the fire,” she said. “It makes us feel good. It makes us feel proud to do the job we do.”
Pilot writer Cindy Clayton contributed to this report.
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