"I got you" - Video shows moment San Bernardino County firefighters rescue woman with cerebral palsy from burning home

Representational image (Image via Unsplash/@Jay Heike)
Representational image (Image via Unsplash/@Jay Heike)

An eerie video depicts the moment San Bernardino County firefighters manage to break into a burning home and rescue a young woman with cerebral palsy on Monday morning.

CBS News has reported that the fire broke out at 11:15 am at a residence located in the 1300 block of N. Valencia Venue on February 3. San Bernardino County Fire Protection District members told the outlet that they pulled over only to find the one-story home blanketed in a blazing inferno.

Captain Nic Turner spoke to the outlet about the same, noting that in the beginning, rescuing the young woman seemed daunting. He revealed that the firefighters initially could not locate the doorknob, but they heard the victim moan from the bed, allowing them to rush to her aid:

"We're crawling down the hallway with smoke to the floor. Zero visibility," Turner recalled. "My hands were getting stuck to things, cause stuff was melting around me." He went on, I move over and found the victim lying in the bed. I grabbed her and told her, 'I got you and I'm not gonna let you go.'"

Firefighters manage to rescue a 23-year-old woman named Alice Romero, who is nonverbal and has cerebral palsy: Here's what we know

In the video, the firefighters can be seen trying to break into the home, and one of them manages to rescue the young woman by pulling her out of the window. She is then rushed to the driveway, where paramedics immediately rushed to her care. The rest of the video depicts thick plumes of smoke cutting through the air, emerging from inside the home.

People Magazine has reported that the firefighters only took six minutes to arrive at the scene, and per CBS News, not long after they did, the woman's family members informed them that their daughter with "access and functional needs" was stuck inside the blazing home "well involved with smoke and fire."

"The mother of the victim was screaming frantically that her daughter is inside still," said SBCFD firefighter Jesse Quicen. "I have two children of my own so there was definitely a sense of urgency."

The woman has since been identified as 23-year-old Alise Romero. Her mother, Elizabeth Romero, told NBC Los Angeles:

“I just prayed and prayed to the lord to give the fighters the strength they needed to do what they needed to do. My daughter is nonverbal and I remembered yelling her name out."

After Captain Turner located Alice, he carried her over to the pair of firefighters waiting outside her window, which can be seen in the video. The fire department told People Magazine that Alice was rushed to a local hospital, where she was reported to be in "serious but stable condition." The crew was also able to rescue the family dog.

"We're often left with bad outcomes, but seeing such a great outcome makes the job worthwhile when it's hard," Turner said, per CBS News. "This is what we live for and I'm incredibly proud."

An official press release reads as follows, as reported by People Magazine:

Alise's closed bedroom door "helped prevent smoke and flames from causing major injuries, providing enough time for emergency crews to locate the child without any significant burns or airway injuries. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District would like to remind residents to keep bedroom doors closed, especially when someone is sleeping inside."

At the time of writing, the exact cause of the fire breaking out remains unknown, and investigations are underway.

Edited by Anshika Jain
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