Thursday, January 22, 2009

Bystander Rescues Injured Toddler From Apartment Fire

Rescuer to receive award

   At press time officials indicated that a one-year-old who sustained serious burns in a Lawrenceburg apartment fire Wednesday remained in stable condition, and plans were already underway to honor his rescuer.

   Emergency personnel responded to the 911 Kramer Avenue fire around noon. Fire Investigator Shayne Adams with the Lawrenceburg Fire Department indicates that all four occupants were able escape the flames.

   According to Adams, the apartment was occupied by Sherry Mendosa and her three young boys, ages 1, 2 and 3. When the fire erupted, Mendosa was able to exit the burning structure, along with her two eldest sons. Adams said a man who was visiting Mendosa’s downstairs neighbor quickly vaulted into action, entering the burning home and grabbing the injured one-year-old from his crib. He was able to carry the toddler, who had sustained second and third degree burns to his face, hands, and chest, to safety. The child’s savior is identified as Nicholas Moore.

   The toddler was transported to Crockett Hospital, then transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he remains a patient in the facility’s Burn Unit.

   Adams indicated that the fire has been ruled accidental in nature, with the most likely cause being a child playing with a space heater. “He was too young to tell us much,” Adams said Thursday morning. “We’re not sure if the child put something in the heater, or if he just turned it up all the way on high and it caught fire – but it was on high when we found it.”

   Adams commended firefighters for quickly extinguishing the blaze. “The guys did a great job on the suppression. They got in there and got it knocked down quickly, saving the structure.”

   Adams reported that plans are already in the works to honor Moore with a special award for his brave actions. Although plans are not yet finalized, he indicates that the ceremony will be held during an upcoming meeting of the Lawrenceburg Board of Mayor and Council.

 

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