Firefighters from the Arlington Fire Department were reunited with a man who they almost did not have the chance to save his life earlier this year.
Firefighters were called to an apartment complex and when they arrived, they were told they were not needed.
"When the first engine arrived, maintenance stated this was a false alarm," Assistant Chief Brent Shanklin told Fox4News.com. "The initial engine disregarded the second engine but remained on scene to verify there was no incident."
They checked the unit to find that a sprinkler system has contained a kitchen fire and that's when they saved Shoney Singh's life.
"There was definitely a kitchen fire. The cabinets were all burned. It had burned inside the kitchen," Lt. Michelle Dereta told the television station. "We were doing our search after we knew the fire was under control. That’s when we found him unresponsive."
The crew from Engine 13 removed Shoney, 65, from the apartment and crews took him to the hospital for serious smoke inhalation.
He was hospitalized for two weeks.
"Since that incident, I don’t think there’s been a day I don’t thank God for them, these people because they do such a wonderful job," Singh said.
This week, the firefighters and paramedics who saved Singh received life-saving awards from the city.
