Albuquerque fire chief: ‘He saved that little boy’s life’
Hero neighbor rescues toddler from flaming tent
It was an emotional embrace. Cassandra Rhinehart and Betty Purvis held tightly to one another, weeping, as the two met for the first time outside a northeast Albuquerque Fire Station Tuesday afternoon.
Just two days before, Rhinehart’s brother, Philip Hall, 22, had pulled Purvis’ 2-year-old greatgrandson out of a flaming tent in Purvis’ backyard.
Hall and the toddler, Kierre Caldwell, were airlifted to out-of-state hospitals with severe burns. Both have a long road to recovery ahead that is expected to include numerous surgeries.
AFD Spokesman Tom Ruiz said no other structures were damaged and the cause of
the fire is still under investigation.
Purvis said it was around 6:30 p.m. Sunday when she and Kierre got back from church to her southeast Albuquerque apartment, near Gibson and Carlisle.
She said Kierre wandered into the backyard, where Purvis had a tent full of some belongings she had not yet moved into the apartment.
After a few minutes, Purvis said she heard a noise and went to check on the child.
“I ran outside and the whole tent was already on fire,” she said.
Purvis, a hospital bracelet still dangling from her wrist, said she ran to save Kierre from the flames, but an explosion knocked her down, breaking her sternum and a few ribs. She also received burns to her back and face.
Rhinehart said Hall, a neighbor of Purvis, smelled smoke and heard screams through his open window. She said Hall climbed over two fences and kicked down a third to rescue the child from within the flame-engulfed tent.
“He grabbed Kierre, he grabbed him out of the fire,” Purvis said as tears streamed down her face. “I’m just amazed with the courage.”
Purvis said she came to on the ground, with Kierre in her arms, waiting for the fire department.
Due to extent of their injuries, Kierre was airlifted to Denver and Hall was airlifted to Lubbock, Texas, for treatment.
Rhinehart said her brother is in critical but stable condition, with several upcoming surgeries. “He’s fighting,” she said. In Denver, Purvis said Kierre also awaits numerous surgeries and has a “long road” ahead but, thanks to Hall, he will pull through.
“He reached into the fire,” she said. “By the grace of Philip, and God, he’ll be 3 in August.”
Albuquerque Fire Chief Paul Dow said he hasn’t seen bravery like Hall’s in his career with the fire department, calling the man a hero.
“He saved that little boy’s life, I don’t think there’s anybody that’s going to argue with that,” he said. “To do that is absolutely amazing.”