Child rescued from Farnell Dr. house fire

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A four-year-old was recovering at USA Children's and Women's Hospital on Sunday after he suffered smoke inhalation during a house fire Saturday night.

Mobile Fire-Rescue Public information officer Steve Huffman says a fire at Farnell and Chevalier Drive put a family out of their home, but the people who were there all are thankful to be alive.

A woman and her grandchild were inside the house when the fire started. Two of the woman's sons were on their way home when they learned about the fire.

“[I was] walking down the street, and they're like: your house is on fire,” said D’marcus Austin, whose mother escaped the fire unharmed.

Family members say a four-year-old child hid in a bathroom tub and had to be rescued by firefighters.

“They had to go back in there and get my nephew ... Smoke got in to him,” said Austin.

The four year-old was initially taken to USA Medical Center, but he was then transferred to Children's and Women's for observation.

“They had to put a tube down his ... see if his lungs were all right,” said Austin.

Huffman said the child's grandmother was the only other person in the house at the time of the fire, she is doing fine.

The woman told firefighters last night that she was cooking and opened the front door of her home to allow some smoke to escape.

Fire officials say that pushed smoke down the hallway and prevented the woman from getting to her grandchild. The fire itself was confined to the kitchen, where a pot was left on the stove too long.

“I thought my mom was going to die,” said Austin.

Mobile Fire-Rescue wants you to remind you to check your smoke detector monthly and change the batteries every six months.