3-year-old saved from burning home by Flagler County deputy

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - "Fire!" That’s what a neighbor along Weymouth Lane on Palm Coast said after calling 911 to report an emergency.  

A Flagler County sheriff’s deputy was the first responder at the scene. 

When he arrived, the neighbor who called 911 told him no one was in the home.  

Deputy Dawson says he listened to his intuition.  

What happened next was all caught on camera on the deputy’s body camera. 

Deputy: "Hi buddy! Where’s your mommy?" 

3-year-old: "Where’s my mom?"

Deputy: "Where’s your mommy? Come with me."

3-year-old: "OK."

Deputy: "Come with me. Come with me."

That’s the conversation Deputy Dawson had with the 3-year-old boy as he rescued him from his home. 

"I have one juvenile out of the house," Deputy Dawson is heard radioing into headquarters.

Deputy Dawson says he’s glad he trusted his intuition and immediately started looking for people in the burning house.  

"I observed that the bathroom light in the master bedroom was on so I figured someone was probably in the shower and didn’t hear. I went in through the back door and started knocking on the clear sliding glass door leading into the master bedroom. I observed the dogs and I observed a head pop up from the covers and then go back under," Deputy Dawson said.  

That’s when he made his way through the door and scooped the little boy up. 

"It’s definitely a great feeling. I have children of my own so just knowing a father gets to see his kid one more time makes it a lot better for me. Makes me happy at the end of the day," Deputy Dawson said.

As he made his way back around the front of the home with the little boy in his arms, other deputies and the fire department arrived at the scene.  

He handed the boy over to another deputy then ran to the back of the home to show firefighters where he found the little boy.

Investigators say the fire started in an older model microwave and quickly spread to the cabinets surrounding it.  

As Deputy Dawson made his way back to the front of the home again a firefighter can be heard voicing his appreciation for Deputy Dawson’s actions. 

Firefighter: "Hey, thanks for getting that kid out." 

Deputy: "No problem. I went to the front door, I saw it was open and I saw the fire. I kept it closed so I didn’t vent it. I came back around cause I heard the dogs and I saw a little head pop up. It was under the covers."

After investigators got the fire and scene under control, the 3-year-old flexed showing his toughness in a picture with his heroes, the deputies who saved him and his dad.