Firefighters meet with family of girl rescued, recovering from blaze
The 5-year-old girl who was hospitalized after a fire at her grandmother’s North Las Vegas condo Saturday morning is recovering after being removed from a ventilator Monday night, officials said.
Fire Chief Joseph Calhoun announced Tuesday that the girl, Maleyah Robinson, was breathing and talking on her own after spending about two days on life support. The department met with the girl’s family Tuesday afternoon at the scene of the Saturday blaze at 714 E. Nelson Ave.
Crews were dispatched to the two-story condo at 7:25 a.m., and Calhoun said they arrived within five minutes. It took about six minutes to find Maleyah, who was unresponsive before crews revived her. Calhoun said that she was at University Medical Center within 21 minutes.
Firefighter Jordan Spears, who has been with the department for six years, said his crew had been alerted before arrival that someone was trapped. But he said the smoke made it nearly impossible to find Maleyah.
“We were supposed to put out the fire, but I decided to bypass the fire … and just started searching the rooms,” Spears said. “We were kind of discouraged that we weren’t finding anybody, but once the fire was put out we were able to see a little bit better, the smoke cleared up and we were able to find her in the back room.
“They said we were in there for six minutes, but it felt like an eternity,” Spears continued.
Capt. Gary Polk said he was grateful to hear that Maleyah was doing well, because after 17 years with the department, he knows that many calls don’t have a happy ending.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to really see and get to live what we all signed up for when we originally became firemen,” Polk said of Maleyah’s rescue.
Maleyah’s grandmother, Lynn Armstrong, said Tuesday marked the first time that she had seen her home of 16 years since the Saturday blaze rendered it unlivable. She’s not sure what’s next for her, she said.
”I just want to get her out of the hospital first,” Armstrong said of Maleyah, whom she has been able to talk with over FaceTime. Armstrong was discharged from the hospital Sunday after being treated for burns.
The Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to help burn victims, presented Armstrong with a $500 donation Tuesday.
Maleyah’s siblings, 8-year-old Karlycia Osorio and 4-year-old Michael Robinson, both were treated for smoke inhalation Saturday. Armstrong was able to get Michael out, and Karlycia escaped by following the sound of her grandmother’s voice, running through flames and out the front door, she said Tuesday.
“The only thing I was really worried about was my grandma and everybody that was in there,” Karlycia said. “I am so thankful for (the firefighters) getting my sister out because if she would have stayed there longer, she would have never survived.”
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.
