In a comedy of unlikely circumstances reminiscent of a sitcom, the Mobile, Alabama, fire department had an exciting day when they were at the scene of a fire that was the result of a shooting, and a man came running towards them, yelling for help and carrying a newborn baby that had just been born minutes earlier in a nearby parking lot.
The mother, Takira, was still at the convenience store about a block away, apparently still in shock from the birth. It was her uncle, Lionel Jordan, who picked up the newborn and, knowing that firefighters were already nearby, ran for help.
Firefighters on the scene immediately wrapped the baby up and began giving her first aid, before going to check on the new mom while they waited for an ambulance to take both the mom and newborn to the hospital for further evaluation.
The baby's grandmother, Arlexia Knight, told WKRG,
I feel like God is very strategic in the things that He does. He had everybody in place for my grandbaby. I called the ambulance before. I know it takes a long time for them to come to your house.
But this was a blessing. And everybody was on standby. And they didn't even know they were on standby.
Both the mom and baby girl, Harleigh, were healthy, despite the traumatic birth, and are now recovering at home.
Knight went on to say,
They are healthier, I believe, than if they had had a traditional birth. The baby has not a bump, not a bruise, not a scratch. The God that I serve is a good God, and my baby is eating. She's breathing on her own. She is thriving.
Mobile Fire Department District Chief Brandon Jackson commended the fire crew's response, saying,
This is a good example of crews being adequately trained and ready for anything at any given moment. They responded to the entire situation with the utmost respect for the mother, child, and community as a whole.
Being prepared for anything just happened to be everything all at once in this instance: a shooting, a house fire, and a surprise delivery.
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