INDIANAPOLIS — A child is in critical condition and a firefighter was injured after a house fire on the near east side of Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Fire Department responded to the 500 block of North Hamilton Avenue, near East Michigan and North Rural streets, around 1 p.m. on a report of a house fire.
Emergency crews quickly removed a 10-month-old from the house and began CPR at 1:12 p.m. A pulse was regained at 1:30 p.m. and EMS crews rushed the baby to the hospital for treatment. The baby was last listed in critical condition.
An IFD spokesperson told 13News a firefighter was taken to a hospital due to a minor injury. The spokesperson also said two dogs died in the fire.
IFD said a 16-year-old girl and her 10-month-old baby were home when the fire started. Also visiting the home were three other children ages 10, 3 and 2 years old.
When firefighters arrived, they said neighbors and the children alerted them the baby was still upstairs.
Investigators believe the fire was accidental and started with a space heater in the living room. Investigators said the 10-year-old first spotted the fire and alerted the others in the home.
Ciera Gilley saw the whole thing while she was driving by.
"All I seen was smoke and the smoke kept getting darker. At first, I thought it was somebody out grilling on their porch. As I saw the smoke getting darker, I knew by the time we got to the street that's a fire. There's a fire," said Gelley.
She immediately pulled over and called 911.
When firefighters arrived, they said neighbors and the children alerted them the baby was still upstairs. Gilley said she saw the kids running out of the house.
"I grabbed them and pulled them into my car. I wrapped up in blankets, sat there and comforted them the whole time. The older boy was a mess. He was so worried about his baby cousin, his dogs, it's devastating." said Gilley.
The devastation turned into desperation when they found out the 10-month-old baby was still inside the house.
"There were quite a few that tried to go in there and grab dollies, trying to bust through the windows, doors, but the flames...there was no access," said Gilley.
Emergency crews rescued the baby from the house. After reviving the baby with CPR, they rushed the child to hospital.
"I haven't stopped thinking about it," said Gilley's mother, Connie Farr.
After the fire crews left, Gilley and her mother returned to the home with diapers, clothes, and food.
"It felt good to be able to help people. That's what we need around here. People helping one another," said Farr.
The women said they're going to make sure everyone had a place to stay Friday night. They were going to help them get a hotel.