Hero off-duty firefighter rescues toddler from burning building

By Harrison Moore via SWNS

An off-duty firefighter rescued a toddler from a burning building - after using a spare breathing apparatus he had in his car.

Stefon Douglas, 33, was driving home from work on June 5 when he spotted people evacuating a house fire in Brooklyn, New York.

Jumping into action, Stefon remembered he had a breathing apparatus he had used to present to students earlier that week.

Wearing shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of Crocs, then bravely made his way into the burning property when he heard a whimper coming from inside.

After a short search he found a three-year-old girl trapped in the bathroom by the flames and thick smoke.

Hero Stefon was able to carry the little girl to safety, before going back inside to save her mom, 31.

The firefighter, of Engine Company 276, said: "Thankfully I had the breathing apparatus in my truck as there's no way I would have performed the duties I did without that.

"I was able to knock down pockets of fire using the garden hose and that's when I heard the girl whimpering inside.

"I felt the little girl, grabbed her, picked her up and walked straight back out the same way I came."

Despite his best efforts, sadly the mother's injuries were to severe and she passed away in hospital the next day.

The child was critically injured and remains in hospital - but she is expected to survive.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

"There are definitely some times I sit back and think, why me, why was I picked for this?," Douglas said.

"I really knew nothing about the job until I got here but now I love it. It was the best decision of my life."