Toddler Saved From Roy Apartment Fire That Displaced 11
Nov 20, 2018, 10:11 AM | Updated: 12:41 pm
ROY, Utah – A young boy was pulled from a burning fourplex Monday in Roy thanks to efforts from police and firefighters.
The fire sparked at approximately 11:30 p.m. at 2300 West and Chateau Drive, and Roy City Police Department officer Ryan Estes was the first on scene.
He said he entered the building to help the residents evacuate, and soon everyone was clear of the building — or so he thought.
Estes and other officers were told there was a young boy still inside a bottom-level apartment.
“The first reaction is to jump through the window,” he said. “You don’t want to see a child hurt, injured or even killed due to a fire or smoke.”
He said the smoke was too thick to safely enter the apartment through the door, so he and other officers began breaking windows. They could hear the toddler coughing inside, and they eventually spotted him during a sudden break in the smoke.
“He was roughly 6 feet from the window where I saw him,” Estes said. “I kept attempting to get him to come to me so we could reach him.”
At that time, a firefighter showed up. Estes told him where the boy was.
“I told him: ‘He’s right there. We need to get in there and get him,'” he said. “That’s when the firefighter said, ‘I’m going in.'”
The firefighter went through the window while Estes directed him to the child.
Estes credited the rescue to teamwork from multiple agencies. Unfortunately, two family pets — a dog and a cat — died as a result of the fire.
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced families.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
