'These two are heroes'; Good Samaritans save toddler, baby from deadly Detroit house fire

Neighbors save baby during fire in Detroit

One person died and two others are in critical condition after a blaze on Detroit's west side started in a home Tuesday morning. Three others are also being treated for smoke inhalation.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Good Samaritans jumped into action on Detroit's west side on Tuesday, saving a toddler and a baby during a house fire.

One other died in what turned out to be the first of two fatal fire incidents in Detroit on Tuesday. 

What they're saying:

It took the quick thinking of people living nearby in a west Detroit neighborhood to save a baby and a toddler from a house fire Tuesday morning.

As smoke billowed from a home on San Juan Street, people called for crowbars, flagged down drivers, and entered the structure. Among those that jumped into action was TJ Davis.

"When I kicked in the door it was full of smoke. Thick black smoke," he said.

He crawled through the room, finding a toddler on the floor and rescuing him.

"He went in and got that baby, and brought that baby out. That baby was laying on the ground.It wasn't breathing at first," said Angela Boone, tears welling up in her eyes. "Then the baby started breathing and the neighbor came over and she kept pushing on the baby."

Boone was another neighbor who helped, receiving a baby that was being passed through a window. 

"It’s about saving people. These two are the heroes. I just came running and didn’t know what was going on," said Jay Goody, another neighbor who responded to help. 

"These two are the real heroes right here today," he said, his arms around Davis and Boone.

Angela Boone, Jay Goody, and TJ Davis, neighbors who responded to house fire in Detroit

Zoom out:

One person did die, according to the Detroit Fire Department - a grandmother. The toddler that was rescued and another teenager are in critical condition.

Three other people are being treated for smoke inhalation, including the baby that was passed to Boone. 

"It’s sad that the lady passed away in the fire. They had a baby and all of them were still in the house," said Goody.

The west side fire was the second fatal blaze that happened on Tuesday in Detroit. Officials said another man and his dog died after a house on Clippert Street caught on fire. 

The fires are not connected, DFD believes, and both causes are under investigation.

"A rare occurrence. This does not happen much," said Dennis Richardson, chief of Detroit's fire investigation division. "We have not had a fatal fire for awhile in the city. This is definitely a rare occurrence."