TRACY MANZER
Press - Telegram

LONG BEACH - The condition of a 2-year-old boy pulled unconscious from his family's burning apartment had improved slightly Tuesday, authorities said.

Justin Aruomah was found laying facedown and not breathing in a bedroom that was blistering from the heat of a massive fire that was reported at 1:24 a.m. Monday. Long Beach Firefighter Chuck Hakopian found Justin after he ran headlong into the burning apartment, in the 2600 block of East 55th Way, when he and other members of the crew from Fire Station 11 were told a baby was trapped inside.

"It was kind of a blur yesterday," Hakopian said Tuesday. "It's becoming more clear in my mind today. It's a little emotional."

Firefighters arrived to find thick choking smoke billowing from the two-story, two-bedroom unit. As Hakopian ran into the burning apartment, firefighter Carsten Sorensen ran after Hakopian with a hose line.

The pair ran up a staircase and into the first bedroom, which was filled with flames. The fire had started in the kitchen's ventilation system below the bedroom and weakened the floor, causing Hakopian to fall through up to his elbows.

"I was able to get myself up and out," he said.

Hakopian then made his way to the second bedroom, where a large section of the room was burning. He was told the 2-year-old was in a crib, but Justin turned out to be on one side of a bed, face down on the floor.

"The bed was between him and the fire ... and the floor was hot but it was cooler than up on the bed so it was the best place for him to be," Hakopian said.

Because the bedroom's windows shattered, Hakopian had visibility from about the waist down in the room, he said.

As Sorensen used the hose to tame the flames, Hakopian ran and snatched Justin into his arms. Once he had the toddler's head and body covered, Hakopian ran out of the burning apartment and delivered the unconscious child to waiting paramedics.

"That was the amazing thing," said paramedic Joyce Vanderweide. "The child was so hot when Chuck handed him to us. His little body ... was much hotter than a 105-degree fever."
Vanderweide said she and her partner, Paramedic Mark Miller, were starting CPR when she touched Justin's chest and felt his heart was still beating.

As they drove Justin to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, they were able to start Justin's breathing again, she said.

The crew was told Tuesday morning that Justin has burns on one foot and was still in critical condition, but he was stable and his condition was improving, she and Hakopian said.

"We're going to go see him later (Tuesday)," Hakopian added, smiling.

Hakopian, and the rest of the crew at Fire Station 11, were being celebrated as heroes Tuesday, with residents driving by and honking their horns and shouting out words of thanks and encouragement.

The firefighters planned to take some toys to Justin to keep his spirits up, said Fire Capt. Rich Brandt.

That may prove difficult with the child's mother, Patience Aruomah, in custody and facing a charge of felony child abuse and neglect.

Some neighbors in the garden-style apartment complex reported hearing the faint sound of a smoke alarm as early as 8 p.m. Sunday, but no one could tell where the alarm was coming from.

One neighbor said he was outside the apartment complex around 1:20 a.m. and saw Patience Aruomah and her sister returning home with two men. One of the women noticed smoke coming from the apartment and began screaming, he said.

The 31-year-old mother is scheduled to be arraigned at the Long Beach Superior Court Wednesday. She was being held at the Long Beach City Jail Tuesday in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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December 7, 2010