Lt. Adam Vilagos has been a firefighter in New York City for 18 years. But on November 19, 2015, one pivotal save is making the news. While responding to a house fire, Adam noticed a narrow stairway that led to the attic. The stairway was filling with black smoke, but when he heard the whimpers of a baby, he knew he had to go up there.
Adam could barely see the boy in the black smoke; he could only hear him gasping for air. He could hear the little boy's parents screaming from outside, "There’s a baby in the attic!” The firefighter felt around the room until he found the 3-week-old baby's crib. He pulled the little guy out, wrapped him in a towel, and the stunning photo of a tough firefighter holding the small infant is now going viral. The image reminds me of another iconic shot where firefighter Rick Camarena comforted a toddler.
The baby was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital and is doing just fine.
“He’s doing good. They’re going to keep him overnight for observation,” said his grandmother, Lisa Brown. "They did a heroic job. They came through. Thank God for them."
Smoke-eaters eventually put the fire out, although the cause of the fire is still unknown.
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