In 1998, Mike Hughes and his team received a report that a house was on fire and they immediately rushed to the scene. When they arrived, the house was ablaze but his instinct told him to go straight into the house.
Little did he expect that he would save an innocent life from the fire later on.
He could still remember quite vividly of the incident. Thick smoke rose from the burning house as the fire became wilder and bigger when he and his team arrived. However, it did not stop Mike from storming into the house to rescue its trapped residents.
It was then that he saw 9-month-old Dawnielle Davidson lying on her crib in a bedroom.
“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,” Mike said.
Mike immediately picked the baby up and successfully rescued her from the fire.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. The incredible rescue was even featured on a local newspaper in Wenatchee, Washington with a picture of Mike cradling baby Dawnielle in his arms
The rescue stuck in his mind so much that Mike went on Facebook to check on Dawnielle. He finally managed to find Dawnielle who was a middle school student at that time. “I sent her a note that said, ‘I think I pulled you out of a fire when you were a baby,’” Mike said.
Dawnielle later confirmed the incident with her parents and the two kept in touch ever since.
Later in June 2015, Mike received an invitation from Dawnielle to come to her high school graduation as a token of her gratitude for saving her life
Dawnielle was really thankful for what Mike had done to save her life and having him with her at her graduation was both emotional and meaningful for her. “I don’t know really how to describe it, they’re happy tears, to realize some things could have gone wrong,” she said.
The moment had also brought tears to Mike. “Her use of words effected me, ‘I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and your crew,’” Mike said
As a firefighter, he was proud that he could save lives even if that meant he would have to sacrifice his own life.
“That’s what my career and the fire service is all about,” Mike said.
Watch the full video of how this brave firefighter reunited with the baby he rescued here
