Florida Man Rescues Two Children From Apartment Fire

Aug. 11, 2004
An Orange County man is being hailed as a hero for saving two children from an apartment fire early Wednesday.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- An Orange County man is being hailed as a hero for saving two children from an apartment fire early Wednesday.

David Stringer broke a first-floor bedroom window so he could rescue the boys, ages 4 and 6.

A crew from Orange County Fire Rescue Department also saved a 2-year-old boy from a back bedroom. Felix Garcia showed no vital signs, but was revived with CPR. He was listed in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit at Florida Hospital.

The other boys, Junior and Jose, also were hospitalized for observation.

Stringer said he was in the parking lot at Millennium Palms Apartments around 1:45 a.m. when he smelled smoke. The fire had started in the apartment where Aria Garcia, 28, lived with her three sons.

Stringer tried the front door, but the fire drove him back. ``After I noticed I couldn't go in more, I crawled down and called out the names. I could hear noises coming from the back,'' Stringer said.

Moving around the building, Stringer reached a window and he could see the boys. He smashed the class, suffering cuts to his hands and face, and pulled them to safety.

``It was an adrenaline rush,'' Stringer said. ``I didn't have time to think. I knew them. So I went in there and did what I had to do.''

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