LOS ANGELES — An off-duty paramedic is being credited with rescuing a young girl from a burning home in East Hollywood on Nov. 27, authorities said.
Richard Recinos was driving home from his family’s Thanksgiving dinner around 11:30 p.m. when he spotted an unusual orange glow near the 4700 block of West Oakwood Avenue. As he got closer, he saw flames shooting into the air and embers drifting across the street, KTLA reported.
| WEBINAR: High stakes, shared responsibility: Leading safely through major events
Recinos arrived before firefighters and initially believed everyone had escaped safely — until he saw a 7-year-old girl standing on the porch as the flames grew, prompting him to sprint toward her.
“Considering the circumstances, I saw my opportunity for a quick grab and go, quick exit, and everything went well,” Recinos said. He called it a split-second decision he would make again.
Firefighters arrived moments later and transported the girl to the hospital for minor burns to her feet. The LAFD said the fire started as a tree fire threatening a two-story duplex, mostly to the exterior, destroying the family’s car but leaving the home intact and habitable with no other injuries reported.
