A neighbour's courageous actions have saved the life of an infant after a house erupted in flames in the Illawarra suburb of Bellambi.
Smoke and screams trigger rescue
Jess Hanslow was at her home on Scobie Crescent with her family on the evening of Sunday, December 28, when she first detected the smell of burning. Initially thinking it might be her stove, the situation became alarmingly clear when she heard screams from outside.
"It was our next-door neighbour, and she was outside with three of her kids," Ms Hanslow recounted. Upon asking about the baby's whereabouts, the distraught mother revealed the infant was still inside the smoke-filled home.
Crawling through darkness to find a cry
Without hesitation, Ms Hanslow entered the burning building. She was immediately met with thick black smoke that made it impossible to see or breathe easily. After confirming the baby's likely location, she went back in.
"I had to get on my knees and go back in, and I heard her cry," she said. Guided solely by the sound, she found the baby in a bassinet. Fumbling in the zero-visibility conditions, she managed to unclasp the infant and carry her to safety, both now covered in soot.
Within minutes of the rescue, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Emergency response and aftermath
Emergency services were called to the scene at 7pm. Seven Fire and Rescue NSW crews, along with a senior officer, worked swiftly to bring the blaze under control.
NSW Ambulance paramedics assessed the mother and children at the scene. The eleven-month-old baby was transported to Wollongong Hospital in a stable condition for treatment due to smoke inhalation.
Another neighbour described the intensity of the fire, noting the heat could be felt from across the street. "I'm just glad the baby's safe," they said, praising the rapid response of firefighters.
The instinct to help
For Jess Hanslow, the decision to risk her own safety was simple. "If that was my child, I'd want someone to help," she stated, reflecting on the mother's distress. "I'd hope anyone in that predicament would have done the same thing for me. I was just trying to rescue the baby at the end of the day."
The cause of the fire is not detailed in initial reports, but the outcome highlights a remarkable act of community bravery that averted a tragedy.
