Miracle' emerges from house fire

The last thing Thibodaux Volunteer firefighter Taylor Richard expected to find when he entered a fire-ravaged home on Parkside Drive Friday was a miracle.

But a miracle was waiting for him in the master bedroom's closet, in the form of a tiny Yorkshire terrier that was initially presumed dead.

More than an hour after the fire started, Richard emerged with Prissy, a 7-year-old mini-yorkie, under his right arm, causing the home's residents to burst into tears of joy and his fellow firefighters to clap in unison.

“That made my day,” the house's owner Billy Kirkland said to no one in particular, as Richard handed the dog to Kirkland's wife, Edith.

Witnessing the reaction of those around him made Richard “real happy,” he said. The 21-year-old added he was glad he could bring the Kirkland family some joy on a day filled with sadness.

Thibodaux fire officials said an unattended pot on a lit stove sparked the blaze sometime after 3:30 p.m. at 629 Parkside Drive, near the back of the Thibodaux Country Club.

The initial kitchen fire made its way into the home's attic where it continued to spread, eventually causing much of the upstairs area to collapse. Smoke carried hundreds of feet in the air, attracting the curious. They walked to the street's end to find out what the commotion was on their generally commotion-free street.

Thibodaux firemen eventually put out the fire around two hours after it started with help from the department's ladder truck.

Fire Chief Mike Naquin said the light-blue wooden house was a “total loss” due to the extensive fire and smoke damage it sustained. Items in closet's and drawers on the first floor were likely salvageable, though, because it appeared the fire mostly existed in the attic. A black Ford Focus in the house's driveway appeared to have minimal damage.

“That's our life savings,” Billy Kirkland said of the house, which his family moved into in September 2005. “Everything I had went into this house. There's going to be things lost that we can't ever replace.”

Kirkland's 20-year-old daughter, Kellie Kirkland, was the only person inside the house when the fire started.

She said she was cooking on the stove with a pot of grease, with a candle next to it. She left the room for a moment, and when she returned the stove was on fire.

She ran out the house at the sight of smoke. And in the chaos that ensued she did not have time to grab Prissy.

“It's just a miracle that she is still alive amidst all the other stuff,” said Kellie Kirkland, the 20-year-old daughter of Billy Kirkland. “We can rebuild the house but we'll never get another dog like her.”

Her father agreed.

“I'm just overjoyed. It's a dog but it's a life,” he said. He pointed to the smoldering house and added, “This can be replaced.”

Amazing footage of miracle escape

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26218271-421,00.html

A security video camera has captured shocking footage of a train running over a baby in a pram.

CCTV footage obtained by the Herald Sun shows the pram rolling away from the baby’s mother, tipping onto the tracks and being hit by the train.

Witnesses fearing the worst were stunned when the six-month-boy was hauled from the tracks with little more than a bump on his head.

The near-miss happened at Ashburton station, south-east of Melbourne, as a city-bound train pulled into the station just after 4pm yesterday.

The baby was strapped into a three-wheeler pram that rolled forward and toppled on to the tracks.

The pram was carried 30m as the desperate driver tried to pull up the 250 tonne train. It ploughed into the pram at about 35km/h, dragging the child along beneath the front carriage

Witnesses watched in horror, fearing the baby had no hope.

But he was safely back in his mother's arms when ambulance officers arrived minutes later.

Ambulance Victoria intensive care paramedic Jon Wright said the distraught baby bounced back with just a bump to the side of the head.

"Apparently he needed a feed and a nap," he said.

The near-tragedy follows a spate of dangerous incidents involving prams on Melbourne's rail network.

It came just days after Connex and Kidsafe warned parents to be more vigilant, particularly when using popular three-wheel prams.

Mr Wright said the narrow escape showed how careful parents have to be.

"Luckily he was strapped into his pram at the time, which probably saved his life. I think the child's extremely lucky," he said.

"Fortunately the train was slowing as it pulled into the station," Mr Wright said.

"It's a good learning point for parents to ensure that children are securely strapped into whatever transport medium they're in, be that a car seat or a pram."

The baby was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital and released last night.

A police spokeswoman described the escape as amazing.

"This could have been so much worse. We're very thankful," she said.

The accident forced trains to be suspended on the Alamein line, causing major delays to travellers.

Spokesman John Rees said Connex was investigating how the pram rolled off the platform on to the tracks.

Mr Rees said the driver would be offered counselling.

"We are grateful this has not ended in a fatality," he said.