Jersey City Firefighters Rescue Unconscious 1-Year-Old Trapped in Burning Home: 'It Was Difficult to Find the Baby'

12/09/2024 10:05 PM

The infant's teen sister frantically sought help from neighbors during the blaze

Firefighters in New Jersey saved a 1-year-old baby and a teen who were trapped inside of a house fire. 

On Friday, Dec. 6, Jersey City firefighters responded to a blaze on Princeton Avenue around 1 p.m. that left more than 20 people displaced after the fire spread, News 12 New Jersey, RLS Media and ABC 7 NY reported. 

First responders were told that the youngest involved was just 15 months old, and found the baby unconscious in one of the back bedrooms.

Though the child was breathing, authorities said she was unresponsive, and subsequently taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, RLS Media reported. 

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"It wasn't like laying on top of the bed, it was somehow against the wall — so it was difficult to find the baby, but they found it pretty fast and got it out," Jersey City Fire Chief Jack Johnson said regarding the rescue efforts, per ABC 7 NY. 

"We're doing the search for the kid in complete fire and smoke conditions and the guys did a great job being able to locate the kid that was on a bed towards the wall," Johnson added.

Neighbors who spoke with local news outlets said the baby's 17-year-old sister had been watching the toddler at the time of the house fire. Once the flames moved through the house, they heard her screams for help. 

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"I just run. I see the house is on fire. She has no clothes on just a T-shirt and underwear so I give her my jacket and shoes and say, 'Do you want to go to my car?' " Tevin Mwangi told News 12 New Jersey of seeing the frantic teen.

"She's telling me there's a 15-month-old baby inside toward the back of the house," he said, adding that he and another neighbor called 911.

Mwangi also spoke with ABC 7 NY about assisting the teen.

"She's crying, coughing, has black smoke all over her body. So, I assumed something is going on," he said. "I checked the house, all of a sudden I saw fire is engulfing the house, smoke is pouring out, and I knew I had to call 911. She did tell me she had a younger sister, around 15-month-old baby, inside the house." 

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Seventeen adults and six children were displaced, and a resident identified only as "Eddie," said his pets were killed in the fire.

"We have to leave him now until we come back tomorrow to find a place to bury him," Eddie said of his family dog, Max, the New York news station reported.

According to the outlets, the American Red Cross is helping the affected families.

PEOPLE reached out to Jersey City Fire for comment, but did not immediately hear back.