Hero rescues baby from fire

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Split seconds change lives. A mother and children were in a fire when a hero came to their rescue.

11 month-old Lauren Ostrander didn't know what was going on when fire fighters carried her away in a blanket.

The infant, her mother, Kelly, and two other siblings are safe today because of Michael Davidson. "It was pretty scary but I just had to do what I had to do."

Davidson lives next door to the family on Midland Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. At around 1:30 Tuesday morning, he said he heard coughing and a beeping noise in the distance.

So he jumped out of bed and went outside. "I heard her going 'help, help' and I said 'were you alright?'"

He opened up the side door and ran upstairs to Kelly's room. "I reached into the room and grabbed a hold of her, and she was fortunately standing up, so I pulled her out and grabbed her, and took her downstairs. I was like 'where's the kids, where's the kids?'"

2 year-old Aden and 6 year-old Elija's were already downstairs. So Davidson rushed up the stairs again in search of the baby.

"I was reaching around the room. I couldn't feel anything so I ran downstairs and grabbed her and said you outta help me find the baby. She went in, found the baby and I carried them back downstairs."

Firefighters put out the fire within 10 minutes. Jeremy Ostrander wasn't home when it happened. He was working the overnight shift at Roswell Park.

Tuesday morning he got a chance to say thank you to his neighbor for saving his family. "It's just a scary thought to think my family might not be here if it wasn't for Mike."

The children in that fire are ok. Their mom is recovering from smoke inhalation at Erie County Medical Center.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Although the homeowner said fire may have been caused by a candle.