08-14-15 Firefighter Talks About His Baby Rescue

He said he grabbed a few things from his apartment and got out. Moments later he spotted a woman leaning out a third floor window, holding a baby. Chattanooga police officers found a mattress they were going to use to break her fall, but there was no time. Before the mattress could be moved in place, the woman let go of the baby. Lt. Lane said he just leaped in the direction of the baby and caught him in his arms. Seconds later, he was hit on the back by the mother, who jumped from the window and landed on top of Lt. Lane and the baby. 

Lt. Henry McElvain with the Fire Investigation Division identified the mother as Bellnique Moon. Her husband, Rahman Moon, told firefighters that he jumped out the window first and intended to turn around and catch his wife and son, but the impact on the ground left him injured and unable to help. His wife and son were taken to a local hospital, but their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. Mr. Moon declined to be transported to a hospital.

Lt. McElvain is the lead investigator on this fire and is asking to see video shot by eyewitnesses, especially video of the fire when it first started. If anyone has that kind of video, they are asked to call Lt. McElvain at (423) 643-5633. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The dollar loss from the fire is expected to exceed $1 million. Fire Chief Chris Adams said the old construction of the building hampered the firefighters' ability to get the fire out. "This was an old apartment building that did not have a sprinkler system or fire walls in the attic," said Chief Adams. "Once the fire got into the attic, the flames just raced across the roof and there just wasn't much the firefighters could do to save the building."