Orange deputy saves baby from burning apartment building
An Orange County Sheriff ’s deputy helped pull a baby out of a burning third-floor apartment building early Saturday morning.
Body camera footage released by the Sheriff’s Office shows Deputy William Puzynski climbing outside balconies with the child and mother standing outside the third floor apartment as smoke billows out of the building
“How old is your baby?” Puzynski asks. “She’s 1? Hold on, hold on. I’m coming.”
He then climbs up to a second floor balcony where the mother hands the baby down to Puzynski, who then gives the girl down to deputies below.
Puzynski told Orlando Sentinel news partner Spectrum News 13 his instincts kicked into gear when he heard a child screaming.
“It’s hard to explain. I just knew I had to save the baby,” Puzynski said. “I don’t think I was thinking. I just had to figure out a way.”
According to Orange County Fire Rescue, crews were called around 4 a.m. to the Isles at East Millenia off San Antonio Avenue near Americana Boulevard. Heavy fire and smoke was showing from the roof as firefighters arrived.
“When we got here, there
was fire rolling out of the roof, people hanging from the balconies and screaming, and all of our crews did a great job. They threw ladders onto the buildings and got everybody out safely,” Orange County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Steve Sherrill told News 13.
There was heavy fire damage to 12 apartments with 12 other also impacted, OCFR tweeted. Three people were injured including two that were taken to the hospital. Eight people had to be rescued. There were no serious injuries but one family told News 13 they lost their pets.
The State Fire Marshal will investigate the cause of the fire.