Dramatic video shows San Bernardino firefighters rescuing woman from burning home

Dramatic video shows the moments that a group of San Bernardino firefighters rush to the aid of a young woman with cerebral palsy who was trapped inside of a burning home on Monday morning. 

The fire erupted at around 11:15 a.m. at a home in the 1300 block of N. Valencia Venue, according to San Bernardino County Fire Protection District members. They arrived to find a single-story home that was engulfed with flames. 

Shortly after they arrived at the scene, family members living at the home told them that their daughter with "access and functional needs" due to her cerebral palsy, was trapped inside of the home, according to the department's statement. 

"The mother of the victim was screaming frantically that her daughter is inside still," said SBCFD firefighter Jesse Quicen. "I have two children of my own so there was definitely a sense of urgency."

He grabbed his captain, Nic Turner, and they rushed into the flames knowing there was no time to wait for backup to arrive. 

They found the woman in a backroom of the home, still lying in her bed, after they crawled through the burning home from room to room. 

"We're crawling down the hallway with smoke to the floor. Zero visibility," Turner recalled. "My hands were getting stuck to things, cause stuff was melting around me."

They were having trouble locating the doorknob, but a stroke of luck led them through the doorway where they heard a hushed moan from the bed. 

"I move over and found the victim lying in the bed. I grabbed her and told her, 'I got you and I'm not gonna let you go,'" Turner said. 

On the other side of the wall, San Bernardino County Fire Captain Greg Soria and his crew had just arrived. 

"A lot of times we know somebody is inside, but we won't know exactly where. In this case we did know," Soria said. 

Using guidance from the woman's mother, who pointed them to the window of her daughter's room, they began to smash the glass and provide an easy exit route for the two firefighters and the woman still inside the intensifying blaze. 

"Once we started breaking the glass we could hear her and that heightens everything," Soria said. "We know we have a live rescue."

Family members say that the woman is 23-years-old and bedridden from cerebral palsy. While they know they lost their home, they're beyond grateful that everyone — including the family dog that firefighters also rescued — was able to get out alive. She remains hospitalized as of Tuesday in serious but stable condition., firefighters said.

"We're often left with bad outcomes, but seeing such a great outcome makes the job worthwhile when it's hard," Turner said. "This is what we live for and I'm incredibly proud."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.