Firefighter Who Rescued Baby Attends Her Graduation 17 Years Later

National   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Jun 11, 2015   |   12:22PM   |   Washington, DC

In 1998, firefighter Mike Hughes pulled a baby girl out of her crib as her house went up in flames. At the time, Hughes was the captain of the Wenatchee fire department in Washington and responded to the emergency call at the girl’s house.

He explained, “Our engine pulled up and the whole interior part of the house was burning heavily. My partner and I went in and I got a call on the radio that they suspected somebody was in the house. I went straight to the place in the house that I thought I’d find somebody. The door to the bedroom was partially open and she was in her crib just squirming so I snatched her up and got her to the front door and handed her off to the first firefighter who was there.”

According to the Daily Mail, Hughes said the rescue was “pretty perfect” because no one inside the house was injured by the fire.

Now the girl, Dawnielle Davison, is 17-years-old and just graduated high school. The pair reunited through Facebook a few years ago after Hughes sent her a note that said, “I think I pulled you out a fire when you were a baby.” Then he was invited to some of Davison’s sporting events and also to her high school graduation.

In the invitation to the ceremony, Davison said, “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and your crew.” Hughes attended the graduation and said that seeing her was very emotional. Davison added, “I don’t know really how to describe it, they’re happy tears, to realize some things could have gone wrong.

Hughes concluded, “She was the third person I’d pulled out of a fire in my career so I always say the third is the charm. That’s what my career and the fire service is all about.”

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As LifeNews previously reported, in 2014, firefighter Charlie Heflin attended Skyler James’ high school graduation party after saving her life 18 years prior. James was abandoned by her family but was later adopted in Champaign, Illinois. James said, “My birth mother abandoned me. I was left in a cemetery. That night, there was a call put out to the dispatchers.”

Heflin explained that he found the girl covered in blood and leaves with her umbilical cord still attached. He said, “I heard a little whimper when I got close to the tree. I dug down inside this real huge pine tree and found her. I handed her off to the paramedics and I didn’t see her since.”

James said the following after meeting Heflin: “I could not say ‘thank you’ enough. I just hugged him and cried. I’ve always wondered if I’d ever meet Charlie or find out who he was.  I always wondered if I’d ever know the first hand side of the story.”

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