Warrington fire: Woman meets men who saved her as a baby
- Published
Jade Broderick, now 24, suffered 40% burns in the blaze on her first birthday in 1995
A woman rescued from a burning building when she was a baby has been reunited with the firefighters who saved her.
Jade Broderick, now 24 and with a child of her own, suffered 40% burns in the blaze on her first birthday in 1995.
She was trapped in her cot in a first-floor bedroom at her home in the Bewsey area of Warrington, Cheshire.
She said she was "overwhelmed" at the emotional reunion with her heroes who recalled her looking like a "rag doll" before they successfully performed CPR.
The moment Jade was reunited with her rescuers
"They saved my life," she said. Gus O'Rourke, now an assistant chief fire officer at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, said he had never forgotten the blaze in Southworth Avenue, particularly as it was the child's first birthday.
"It happened so fast, yet every moment is etched in your mind for the rest of your days," he said.
He was given a chief fire officer commendation for helping to save Ms Broderick's life.
Martin Dowle also vividly remembers the rescue.
"You couldn't see up the stairs, it was that thick with smoke, so I was surprised when Gus came crashing back downstairs with what looked like a doll," he said.
He remembered that he then "cleared her mouth and her nose and started CPR".
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's assistant chief fire officer Gus O'Rourke received a commendation for his part in the rescue
Ms Broderick said she "felt liked crying" when she met the firefighters again and introduced them to her 10-month-old son and fiancé.
"I thanked them all so many times. Words can't describe how grateful I am to them for what they did," she said.
Mr O'Rourke said: "Seeing her now as a beautiful, lovely woman with a baby of her own gave us all a great sense of pride."