Florida deputy rescues 3-year-old hiding under blanket during house fire

WFLA 8 On Your Side Staff, Nathaniel Rodriguez

Updated: Oct 19, 2021 / 04:44 PM CDT

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FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida deputy saved a 3-year-old from a house fire Sunday, as depicted by body cam video released by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the sheriff’s office, first responders arrived at a home in the W section of Palm Coast, where a neighbor said a fire had broken out in the kitchen and the home’s three residents had not been seen that day.

When the sheriff’s office arrived, the fire was spreading from the kitchen stove to the cabinets and filling the home with black smoke.

Body cam video shows K-9 Deputy First Class Marcus Dawson knocking on the front and back doors, with no response. While on the back patio, Dawson saw the 3-year-old boy in a bedroom and immediately went inside to get him out.

“I want my mom,” the little boy said when Dawson asked him where his mother was.

The sheriff’s office said the child was fearfully hiding from the smoke under some blankets and watching a cartoon. After finding the child, Dawson carried the boy out of the home to get him medical attention.

“Without DFC Dawson immediately running toward danger, even without a safety respirator, this could have been a much different outcome,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.

The sheriff’s office said the child’s father told deputies he left to pick up dinner and left the child sleeping at home with an older sibling. No injuries were reported.

At this time, fire officials believe the house fire was accidental and cooking-related.