Florida Deputy Heroically Saves 3-Year-Old Boy Hiding Under Blanket From a Burning House
A Florida deputy saved a 3-year-old boy from a house fire on Sunday. Bodycam video released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office showed that the child was hiding under a blanket.
The Flagler County Sheriff's Office said the first responders arrived at a home in the W section of Palm Coast and a neighbor noted that a fire had broken out of the house's kitchen but had not seen the three residents living there that day.
Child Hides Under a Blanket During Fire in Florida
Based on the sheriff's office report, the fire, at the time, was spreading from the kitchen stove to the cabinets, filling the home with black smoke.
K-9 Deputy First Class Marcus Dawson arrived at the home in Palm Coast and saw movement in the home's back bedroom.
Despite the statement from a neighbor who said he didn't believe anyone was inside, Dawson still checked the house. He said he had seen active flames, and he could hear a smoke detector while dogs were barking.
According to CBS42, a bodycam video showed Dawson checking the house. He knocked on the front and back door, but he got no response.
However, when he was on the back patio, the Florida deputy saw the 3-year-old boy in the bedroom and immediately got inside to get him out.
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Florida Deputy Saves 3-Year-Old Boy From Fire
The Florida deputy said he was observing the dogs when he suddenly saw a head pop up from the covers and then went back under it.
When Dawson asked the 3-year-old where his mother was, the boy only replied that he wanted his mom. The sheriff's office said the child was fearfully hiding from the smoke under some blankets while watching a cartoon. After finding the child, Dawson carried the boy out of the home to get immediate medical attention.
Meanwhile, investigators said there had been some miscommunication between family members. That's why the 3-year-old boy was left alone at the house.
Investigators said the father had left a 17-year-old with the 3-year-old while he quickly ran an errand, but the 17-year-old thought the toddler was with dad, so the teen took off, WESH reported.
Dawson said the father of the 3-year-old boy went into full panic mode when he returned and saw the flames. The Florida deputy said he had to reassure the child's father that his son was fine because he said he did not care about the house and was more concerned for his child.
Dawson noted that situations and rescues like this were part of the job, but apparently, life-saving comes naturally to him. The recent rescue was the seventh time he saved someone's life since he started for Flagler County in 2016.
"I have children of my own so just knowing that a father gets to see their kid one more time makes it a lot better for me, makes me happy at the end of the day," Dawson said.
The sheriff's office said the child's father told the deputies that he had just left to pick up dinner and left the boy sleeping at home with an older sibling. No injuries were reported in the fire incident.
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Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Deputy Rescues 3-Year-Old From Flagler County House Fire - From News4JAX