THIS is the moment an off-duty paramedic heroically saved a seven-year-old girl from a roaring house fire.
Richard Recinos was driving home from his family‘s Thanksgiving celebration when he came upon the burning East Hollywood home, just minutes before firefighters arrived.
Dramatic footage shows the moment the veteran paramedic realised a little girl was standing on the porch alone and surrounded by the blaze.
In a split-second decision, Recinos zipped up his leather jacket to protect himself from the heat, and rushed towards the house, by now engulfed in flames.
He picked up seven-year-old Savannah, and slung her over his shoulder before running away from the inferno, taking her to safety.
Savannah spent the night in hospital being treated for minor burns to her feet.
Recinos said he would make the same decision again “in a heartbeat”.
“Considering the circumstances, I saw my opportunity for a quick grab and go, quick exit, and everything went well,” he later told KTLA.
Firefighters arrived moments later, helping Savannah’s remaining family members escape the home safely.
The Los Angeles Fire Department later posted a statement to social media, saying they had responded to reports of a tree fire that was threatening a two-storey duplex at 11.43pm.
When crews arrived they quickly got to work and upgraded the status of the blaze to a structure fire, as the flames had engulfed two large trees.
Thankfully, damage was largely focused on the outside of the house, however the family’s car was completely destroyed.
No additional injuries were reported.
Recinos said he had always dreamt of being a firefighter and Thursday’s act of heroism confirmed that goal.
Community members and fellow first responders praised Recinos for his quick thinking and bravery.
He said the moment was “pure instinct”.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Thursday’s Thanksgiving saw more than one house fire, with one family losing two daughters to a blaze.
Frantzia Fleury, 49, and Pojanee Fleury, 42, were trapped inside the blazing New Jersey home on Thursday while attempting to guide their father to safety.
The sisters helped their father escape the burning house physically unscathed, alongside six other people who were inside the home, according to local authorities.
Emergency services attended the home, however it was too late for the pair, who had been overcome by the flames.
