A father speaks from his hospital bed about the fire at his Austin neighborhood apartment, injuring him and five kids on early New Year's Day.

Shelton Love and his niece are still at Stroger Hospital. He's waiting to see if he needs a skin graft for his back. His niece was hospitalized for smoke inhalation. He said this is something he never thought he would experience.

"It's something I don't want anyone ever to go through, you know."

While fighting back tears, Love recounts the moments he was hanging out the window, yelling for help while his apartment was on fire.

"When you get to that moment, you it's pitch black, and you can't think straight. You can't think straight. It's hard," he said.

On New Year's Eve, Love said he and his two kids, niece, and younger cousins celebrated with a game night, a crab boil dinner, and dancing.

"Everybody went to bed and woke up to flames," Love said.

He said that the fire was small, so he tried to put it out.

"I tried to fan it down, fan it down. I think I grabbed the pillow off the couch, and I don't know if that pillow was extra flammable or what, but once I started fanning at it and put it out, it just grew," he said.

That's when he told everyone to get out. He was under the impression that all the kids were out until he turned around and saw his 9-year-old nephew.

"Got the window open and got both of us... had him up under me because I felt the heat. Had him up under me. We were just out the window just screaming for help," he said.

Days after the fire, Love said he is counting his blessings.

"I'm just grateful to be alive. My kids. I'm just grateful," he said.

His two cousins, who were found inside after they were rescued, are now out of the hospital.

It's still unclear what caused the fire, but he thinks it could be electrical.