A group of FDNY firefighters and paramedics who saved a young girl from a high-rise fire days before Christmas were honored at a special school ceremony Tuesday.
The FDNY members got the special thank you for rescuing 7-year-old Emely Hernandez, a student at Success Academy Upper West.
Hernandez was one of 23 people hurt, including four firefighters, when flames sparked by a candle set fire to a West 59th Street high-rise on Dec. 22, spewing smoke into apartments.
Some residents, including Hernandez, attempted to wait out the dense smoke in a residence in the building. Hernandez was in cardiac arrest when firefighters got to her and pulled her to safety.
Hernandez spent several days in intensive care but made a full recovery and has since returned to school.
The FDNY members who saved her were honored at the Success Academy ceremony Tuesday, and Hernandez was declared an honorary member of the FDNY.
FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro was in attendance and said the rescue was an example of New York’s bravest doing what they do best.
“The whole reason the fire department exists is to help the citizens of New York, and especially the most vulnerable, which are our children,” Nigro said.
