Boy Meets OKC Firefighters Who Saved Him From Burning Apartment

The young boy saved from a burning apartment in Oklahoma City recently met his rescuers. 

The Oklahoma City Fire Department posted on its YouTube page a video of the 4-year-old boy meeting the firefighters who saved him from the massive fire at Cape Cod Condominiums on Oct. 22. 

The OKCFD told News 9 that a cigarette or cigar caused the fire outside the apartment complex, which then spread to the building. Ten units were damaged. 

Meanwhile, the fire surrounded the boy in the living room. 

"I basically told the recruit on the bag, I told him, 'Hey, you get the handline,' and I had him behind me kind of knocking down the fire as we made our way up the staircase," said TJ Shaw, an OKCFD firefighter, in the YouTube video. 

Crews had no time to waste. 

"My TIC (thermal imaging camera) came on just prior to me making contact with the child. That's why I was able to see him," said Maj. Jonathan Davis. "But without the use of the TIC, it was - the visibility was so poor. I mean, I couldn't see a foot in front of me." 

Davis then picked the boy up. 

"He wrapped his hands around my neck and we exited the structure as soon as we possibly could," said Davis. 

Some time after being released from the hospital, the boy visited a fire station and met the firefighters who rescued him. The YouTube video shows him hugging Davis, using a water hose with Shaw, and posing for photos with the department. 

"To be a small part of a rescue is very encouraging, very rewarding," said Davis. "It's exactly why I signed up to do this job and it'll be something I'll carry for the rest of my life." 

"I went home to my wife, to my kids, give them a big hug, like this is why we come to work to do," added Sgt. Corey Robinson.