'I Could Hear Screaming': Off-Duty Colorado Firefighter Makes Daring Rescue
BAILEY, Colo. (CBS4) - Firefighter Kyle Chavez is being credited with saving the lives of his neighbors after their house caught fire early Monday morning.
"I was waking up, getting ready for work, and I saw a fire through the window," said Chavez, a wildland firefighter with the Platte Canyon Fire Protection District.
Chavez, 21, was up early getting ready for work when he spotted the flames coming from his neighbor's home. He rushed through his backyard, jumped a fence and began knocking on the windows and doors. He was shocked to find people still inside. Even more so when he heard a child screaming.
"I could hear him screaming, so that's why it just snapped," he said.
Chavez said at that point, he wasn't going anywhere but in the house. He says the boy's panicked mother pointed him to a smoke-filled back bedroom.
Platte Canyon Fire Protection District captured video of the burning home, which is posted below.
"It was just heavy smoke and (I) just was listening very carefully to the voices, (trying to) find the voice and get him outta there."
Chavez stayed low. He could see the floor and made his way to the little boy, who was crying. He said he was in and out with the child in about 15 seconds. The child's mother also made it out safely along with the three family dogs.
Chavez credits his training with the fire department for his quick thinking and believes his fellow firefighters would've done the same, regardless of whether they were off-duty or not.
Fire investigators with the Elk Creek Fire Department say the fire was an accident and caused by improperly disposed ashes from the fireplace.
While the family does have some renters insurance, the owner of the home says it won't cover everything. The homeowner has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family recoup some of their losses.
The family declined to talk on camera but expressed their gratitude to not only Chavez but other neighbors who have reached out to support them.