Rocky Mount NC Fire Fighters Rescue Child from Blazing Home

Trey Mayo Fire Chief, City of Rocky Mount NC

01/09/2012 -

At 11:50 PM on January 5, Rocky Mount (NC) 911 received a call from a neighbor reporting a structure fire at 927 Stokes Street. Rocky Mount Fire units Engine 5, Engine 1, Ladder 10, Ladder 30, Squad 1, and Battalion 1 were dispatched.

While en route, units were advised that a five-year old child occupying the residence was unaccounted for. Engine 5 arrived on scene less than 2 1/2 minutes after dispatch and reported moderate, gray, laminar smoke from a single-story apartment. Engine 5's captain assumed command and confirmed that a child was unaccounted for and believed to be still in the residence.
Engine 5's crew deployed an 1 3/4" attack line as crews from Squad 1 and Ladder 10 were arriving on scene. Crews made entry into the apartment, confined a fire to the kitchen, and located a five-year-old female under a crib in a bedroom.

Crews removed the child, who had suffered smoke inhalation, less than 2 1/2 minutes after arrival. Patient care was transferred to West Edgecombe Rescue Squad. The child was transported by ground to Nash Health Care Systems and then flown to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC Hospitals.

At last report, the child was in stable condition. The cause of the fire was determined to be unattended cooking.