As firefighters from Ladder Co. 151 arrived at 93-01 Astoria Blvd. in East Elmhurst at around 8:20 a.m., they saw Gloria Reyes leaning out the window of her apartment, holding her 8-week-old daughter, Emily Saviola Avila, Fire Capt. Tom Riley said.
The frightened mom couldn't escape because there was "fire everywhere," Riley said.
The fire crew was quick to assure Reyes they would rescue her and her baby. Meanwhile, a group of neighbors had gathered below the window holding a blanket in case Reyes decided to toss the child from the window.
"That was one of our fears," said firefighter Michael McCrory. "She was in a very hairy situation."
But, he added, "She was very calm. She didn't panic."
Firefighter Steve Ferring swung the truck's ladder below Reyes' window and raised it while he and McCrory repeated their assurances to Reyes, Riley said.
"Everything will be OK. Hold on to the baby. We'll be right there," Riley said they told her.
Once the ladder was in place, McCrory and Riley scaled the ladder to the fourth floor.
"I climbed up the ladder. I told her to stay calm, I'm gonna take the baby from you," McCrory said.
He grabbed Emily and passed her back to Riley, then helped Reyes out the window onto the ladder.
After making sure no one else was trapped in the apartment, McCrory escorted Reyes down the ladder to safety.
"It made me feel really, really good doing this," McCrory said.
Emily and her mom were treated with oxygen in an ambulance and were later taken to Elmhurst General Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Authorities said the fire started on the fourth floor of the brick building at around 8:15 a.m.
Firefighters arrived four minutes later, and the blaze was declared under control after less than a half-hour.
Additional reporting by Jim Alcorn
