CLEVELAND — Cleveland firefighters, paramedics, and officers welcomed special guests to Fire Station 7 on Tuesday.
Ahmina Walker, 2, and her sister, Jordyn Slone, 8, who were rescued from a burning apartment on Jan. 26, met the first responders to saved their lives.
The girls' mother, Elginavia Garrett, and her son Justin Slone, 6, who made it out of the fire safely, were joined by Fire Chief Angelo Calvillo to recognize the heroic efforts of the members of Cleveland Fire Ladder 7, Cleveland EMS, and 2 Wakeman off-duty police officers who were working as security guards for the complex.
"That night I felt like my life was gone," said Garrett. "And to see them all back up and everybody doing good, it's like, cherish every moment you have."
The fire broke out around 2:35 a.m. in an apartment at the Arbor Village Park on East 38th Street and Bivens in Cleveland.
Officers Steve Pozniak and his partner Ernest Leach -- who patrol the grounds at the complex -- heard screams coming from the area.
They rushed to the scene, and when they arrived, Pozniak says, “There was a young 8-year-old child hanging her body out the window trying to breathe. There was a lot of smoke coming out the window.”
Pozniak drove his patrol car right against the building, stood on top of it, and encouraged Jordyn to jump.
He says, she was scared, but eventually took the leap.
“I almost caught her,” he says. “Her weight coming down on me brought me down on the vehicle, but it definitely slowed her down.”
Lt. Mike Norman, the Public Information Officer for the Cleveland Fire Department told us, "The mother tried to go back into that house, but she was unable to, and the Security Guard's partner tried to go upstairs, but he said the smoke and the heat was just too much."
Leach, who ran into the house while his partner was coaxing the 8-year-old from the window said, "I was in the house for maybe 20 seconds, and just felt like my lungs couldn't hold anything. I had to back out for safety purposes. Otherwise, the Fire Department would be pulling out three, instead of two.”
That's when 26-year veteran firefighter Captain Tom Lally rolled up on the scene.
He bravely ran into the building before the crews' water lines were even deployed, rescuing 2-year-old.
The fire department says the fire may have started in the kitchen, but the cause is still under investigation.
You can watch the heartwarming moment from Tuesday in the player below: