Firefighter Catches Baby Tossed From Window

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) – A woman and her infant son are alive tonight because of the quick work by an off-duty Chattanooga firefighter.
It’s the kind of story you hear about once in a while—someone catching a baby tossed from a burning building.
It happened at a fast-moving fire at an apartment complex on East Brainerd Road Thursday night.

No one has said how it started…but about 10:30 last night a fire in building 1200 of the Hidden Creek Apartments quickly spread to this—a potentially deadly blaze that forced residents of 24 units to grab what they could and rush to safety.
The first fire units arrived moments later, their station in just a black away on East Brainerd road.
And Battalion Chief Fredrick Blake quickly called for more trucks.

Inside one of the apartments was off-duty firefighter Lt. Vernon Lane.
He was alerted by a knock on the door; he grabbed some clothing and left.
But he noticed police officers dragging a mattress under the window of an upstairs apartment.
A woman was dangling a baby from a third story window.

LT. VERNON LANE, CHATTANOOGA FIRE DEPARTMENT "As I proceeded to the building, the baby got released from the top of the building and I dove into the bushes to grab the baby."

Because of Lt. Lane’s efforts the 10 month old child was not seriously hurt.
But his night wasn’t over yet.

LT. VERNON LANE "As I was trying to get up…I felt a weigh of somebody’s body come down on my back as I was getting up an I realized it was the mother of the child."

Lt. Lane also lost his apartment and most of his possessions in that blaze.
Every resident had a story.

KASSIDY VOILES, RESIDENT "I didn’t know anything about it because I was in Collegedale….and I called my mom as soon as I could and she didn’t answer…so about an hour …it was really, really scary because I got on twitter..it was the 1200 building."

Kassidy’s mother was safe, as was everyone else.
This is what the apartment building looked like in the morning.
A damage estimate has not been released.
The condition and names of the woman and the baby were not released.

The local chapter of the American Red Cross set up a shelter at the East Brainerd Church of Christ for those who were displaced by the fire.
A spokesman says most of them are staying with friends or family.