Firefighters rescue 2 children from smoke-filled apartment in Stamford
STAMFORD, Conn. -- Two children are recovering Thursday after they were rescued from an apartment fire in Stamford.
The fire happened Wednesday night on Custer Street.
Exterior damage at the scene is undetectable. The drama that unfolded, however, was unforgettable for Stamford first responders, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
"The boys cowboyed up and got the babies out," said firefighter Rocco Terenzio.
"We knew that we had short moments to get up, locate the children, and evacuate them to fresh air,' Stamford Fire Department Lt. Kevin Dingle said.
Dingle and crew were first to arrive Wednesday evening at the Lawnhill Terrace complex, where heavy smoke had built up inside number 40 and two toddlers were stranded upstairs.
"As soon as they opened the door, those guys disappeared, and I was like 'Where'd these guys go?' And a couple seconds later, I was like, 'Oh, they went to make a rescue,'" Firefighter Toren Murphy said.
"It wasn't overly hot, just hard to see. So, we found the stairs right away, head right up, and start searching the second floor," Firefighter Pete Degnan said.
Degnan found the children, ages 2 and 3, semi-conscious on the floor of a smoke-filled bedroom.
Video shows him and Dingle bringing the children outside and performing first aid measures to get them breathing again.
"You're just thinking about what do I need to do next to help these kids get better and more on the way to recovery," Degnan said.
Investigators believe the fire started in a pot left simmering on the kitchen stove.
Stamford police are piecing together the moments that preceded the fire and want to know if an adult was home, supervising the children.
Degnan and Dingle are both fathers, and take quiet satisfaction in the rescue of the toddlers.
"And that the training that we do and the work we've put in for years on end was able to come to fruition and help the people out that we're sworn to protect," Dingle said.