MIAMI (WSVN) - A father is recovering in the hospital after he put his safety at risk to rush his family out of their burning Miami home.
City of Miami Fire Rescue responded to the scene located in the area of Northwest 14th Avenue and 59th Street, at around 5 a.m., Friday.
“When the fire crews arrived, we found that there was a smoldering fire in the living room near the couch area,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll.
Fortunately, the family had already escaped.
The mother, Constance Doughty, said she woke up early to the smoky situation as the quick-thinking father closed the doors in an effort to contain the smoke.
“It got real hot in our room, and I smelled something burning, and I jumped up and I just seen the whole room was covered in smoke,” she said. “The smoke hit us.”
The father, Darryl Manning, busted out the couple’s bedroom window to escape, then did the same on the other side of the house to rescue their three children, ages 6, 10 and 15.
“We had to bust the windows, jump out the window, bust the kids’ room window and get them out the window,” said Doughty.
“Adrenaline kicks in, and the only thing you’re thinking about that you have is your bare hands, and he’s using that to break those windows,” said Carroll.
As a result, Manning suffered serious cuts.
“We had to squeeze through one of the windows so everybody got cut up real bad,” Doughty said. “I’m cut up. My husband was cut up the worst. They had to take him to the hospital to get stitches, but thank God we’re OK.”
She’s all smiles after her husband’s heroic life-saving actions.
“One thing about him – he will jump into action when it comes to his wife and his kids,” Doughty said.
The fire damaged most of the home, but all five family members escaped unharmed.
Despite being cut badly, Manning tried to put out the fire with a garden hose outside.
Rescue crews transported him to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment.
“His reaction is to be commended,” Carroll said. “A lot of times, people don’t react that way.”
“Thank God we’re OK. I just thank God he was with us tonight,” said Doughty.
The family said they have a smoke detector inside the home, but it wasn’t functioning at the time.
According to investigators, the fire sparked from a bent air conditioning cord that somehow ignited the living room couch.
The Red Cross has since responded to assist the family with accommodations until they are able to move back into their home.
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