KILLEEN, Texas — A Killeen woman and her baby are in Dallas recovering from an apartment fire that happened early Monday morning in Killeen, according to new details released from the family.
According to family, Kayla Bejarano dropped her almost 1-year-old son, Yasir Pickett, to the ground from her second story window and not to a bystander, as was initially reported by the Killeen Fire Department.
According to the grandmother, Patricia Butler, neighbors could not get to the mother and baby, so they encouraged the mother to drop the baby out of the window.
Per the family, the mother also jumped out of the window and broke her ankle.
Another neighbor was able to get to them after breaking a gate lock, picked up the baby and carried him to the front, according to Butler.
Butler said she believes maybe people assumed he (the neighbor) caught the baby.
As of Nov. 2, the mother is recovering at Parkland Burn Center in Dallas and the baby is at a children's hospital nearby. They were initially taken to Baylor Scott and White.
Butler told 6 News, the baby is doing well and is only at the hospital for smoke inhalation. She said Bejarano suffered 2nd degree burns on several parts of her body.
Original Story below:
The Killeen Fire Department is looking for a person who they said caught a baby dropped from the window of a burning apartment early Monday morning.
The Killeen Fire Department is looking for a person who they said caught a baby dropped from the window of a burning apartment early Monday morning.
Killeen Fire Chief James Kubinski said they're really hoping to find this good Samaritan.
"We typically don't ask people to drop their baby out the window towards us," Chief Kubinski said.
That's exactly what a mother did in an act of desperation as flames burned her apartment. Kubinski said the flames were between the exit and the mother with her child so she had to act fast.
"She looked out the back window. On the back side of the building there happened to be a good Samaritan who was outside the window willing to grab her baby for her from the second floors window," Kubinski said.
The woman was able to escape through her front door and got back to her baby and her mother who was waiting outside.
"I heard her screaming and I know she got burned by the fire and she did what she had to do," the woman's mother said early Monday morning.
The woman and her baby were taken to the hospital and are doing fine thanks to the good Samaritan.
"Somebody who just caught the baby, returned the baby back to mom and then went on their way and so we want to know who that person is and publicly recognize them," Kubinski said.
He said he's amazed at this display of bravery from the mother.
"I don't care if it's three inches or three feet," Kubinski said. "He was trying to protect her baby from getting burned."
He's also amazed at the courage from the stranger.
"To save somebody's baby, while of course that's what we train to do as firefighters, somebody who is not trained and is willing to do that, that is something that is well worth recognition," Kubinski said.