First responders honored for rescuing baby held hostage in burning North Highlands apartment
NORTH HIGHLANDS — First responders from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office and Metro Fire were honored as heroes Thursday for their actions at a Madison Avenue apartment complex fire over the summer.
Anthony Smith provided cover for Anthony Durand as he tried to create rapport and de-escalate the situation. None of them knew what to expect when the 9-1-1 call came in about a baby held hostage by his father.
"We didn't plan on walking into that situation," Firefighter Tucker Hodge said.
When Hodge and his fellow firefighters arrived, the bedroom where he was holding the baby boy at knifepoint was engulfed in flames.
"It's one of those things that in the moment, you just act, that's what we're here to do. We're trained to do things. You just jump in and do it," said Metro Fire Captain Shawn Lemon.
Lemon said law enforcement and fire personnel quickly came up with a plan to rescue them.
"We had some special tools that we were able to put in play on a structure fire that I have never used [and] in a way I have never used it, just to breach through another apartment to access people," he said.
They entered the bedroom by cutting through the wall of the apartment next door to pull them out.
"After the fact, it was one of those things [where] the weight starts to get on you. You start to realize the things you guys did together," Lemon said. "The way the sheriff's office was able to handle their part of it and the way we were able to handle ours, it's just miraculous really."
Both lives were saved and dozens of others were evacuated to safety.
These first responders humbly accepted the honor alongside others who were on the scene that June 24 morning, saying what they did is just part of the job
"I'd rather get back on the engine and go back out serving people, but I understand the importance of highlighting when people do great things," Hodge said.