An off-duty paramedic is sharing how he helped save a 7-year-old girl after her family’s home caught fire on Thanksgiving night.
Shortly before midnight on Nov. 27, a two-story duplex on W. Oakwood Avenue went up in flames after two large trees outside the building caught fire, according to a Facebook post from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Paramedic Richard Recinos was driving home through the Larchmont neighborhood after spending the holiday with his family when he noticed the blaze, CW affiliate KTLA reported. As he got closer, he saw a young girl standing on the porch, just a few feet from the growing wall of fire.
Recinos said that in that moment, his training took over and his “adrenaline kicked in,” he told CBS affiliate KCBS, and he immediately moved in to get the girl to safety.
The child, identified as 7-year-old Savannah Vasquez, had been in her upstairs bedroom when the fire broke out. After spotting the flames, she alerted her grandmother and hurried outside without stopping to put on shoes.
When Vasquez stepped out of the house, she was met by heat and flames. That’s when Recinos spotted her and sprinted toward the porch.
“Given the situation, I saw a split-second window for a quick grab and go, a fast way out, and thankfully everything worked out,” Recinos said, according to KTLA.
Video shared by local outlets, including ABC affiliate KABC, captured Recinos carrying Vasquez away from the home as the fire burned behind them and embers drifted through the air.
“The guy saw me and came running,” Vasquez told KCBS. “That’s what kind people do. Kind people help each other.”
Vasquez spent the night in the emergency room being treated for blisters on her feet, KCBS reported.
Her mother, Martha Vasquez, expressed deep gratitude to Recinos for stepping in when he did. “Saving my daughter is saving my heart,” she said.
Recinos said he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same again, saying he would jump into action “in a heartbeat,” per KTLA. He also shared that the experience has only strengthened his long-term goal of becoming a firefighter.
Officials have not yet determined what caused the fire. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, most of the damage was limited to the exterior of the residence.
