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Eden Prairie firefighters honored for saving baby from burning townhome
Four local firefighters are being honored for their bravery after saving a baby from a burning town home. The Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award is being given to four Eden Prairie firefighters by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has more.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Four local firefighters are being honored for their bravery after saving a baby from a burning town home.
Firefighters honored for rescue during town home fire
What we know:
The Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award is being given to four Eden Prairie firefighters by the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota. The award comes two years after they risked their lives to save a 9-month-old baby trapped inside a burning town home.
Assistant Fire Chief Justin Johnson said, "It was a very vulnerable little kid that was left alone in a burning house."
Police body camera video captured the scene as firefighters arrived to find the home engulfed in flames.
Johnson explained, "It was getting to the point where we had to make a quick, fast decision."
He sent then-Captain Matt Worthington and two firefighters through the back of the home without a hose line to search for the infant. Firefighter Josh Privette spotted the baby and called out to the team.
"He calls out that he's found somebody, he says he's found a victim, and they call out right away that it's that it's an infant," said Assistant Chief Matt Worthington. "He came towards me, and when he passed by me, we were at a very close distance, and I, I looked down. I intentionally was trying to look to see the condition of the baby as he was moving, and I, I just, I couldn't make it out because of the, because of visibility."
The team managed to get the baby out safely.
"I took hold of that child and brought them onto the front side of the house, where we met up with Hennepin EMS," said Johnson.
The firefighters say they never expected to receive an award for doing their job, but the recognition means a lot.
"It's something that I never would have seen coming, but it's a huge honor," said Worthington.
Recognition and aftermath of the fire
Why you should care:
The split-second decision to enter the burning home is being celebrated two years later. Johnson shared that the child is doing well today.
The actions of these firefighters highlight the risks first responders take to protect their communities. Their willingness to act quickly and decisively saved a life and is now being recognized at a federal level.
Federal prosecutors say the man who intentionally set the fire was recently sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, showing that there are serious consequences for such actions.
The Freedom 250 Hometown Hero Award serves as a reminder of the importance of community heroes and the impact they have on the lives of others.