CORONA — The nephew of FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro fought through heavy fire to rescue a 3-week-old baby from his crib in the attic of a burning Corona apartment building Tuesday night — giving the newborn "a chance at a life," he said.
Lt. Adam Vilagos, 42, an 18-year FDNY veteran, arrived at 34-40 106th St., near 37th Avenue, about 9:30 p.m., to find the boy's parents outside clamoring for help, he said.
"They were screaming in the street, 'My baby's in the attic, my baby's in the attic,'" Vilagos said.
He rushed up the stairs, feeling around for a door that would take him to the attic, he said. The heavy fire was on the second floor, and the "visibility was pretty much zero."
After searching, Vilagos found the door and rushed up the narrow staircase to the attic, searching for the baby, identified by family as Sanjay Headley, Jr.
"I wound up actually bumping into the crib," he said Wednesday outside his firehouse in East Elmhurst.
"I heard very faint noises, the baby was making very faint noises. I reached in, I felt the baby and I just grabbed him and took off."
He rushed back down the stairs and handed the baby off before rushing back into the house to put out the fire, he said.
The three-story house in Corona was already decorated for Christmas when a fire ripped through it on Nov. 17. Residents returned Nov. 18 to search it for belongings. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
Therin Pressley, 53, was in the first floor living room when the fire broke out.
He said he rushed upstairs to try to save other occupants, but he caught on fire and had to be pulled out by firefighters, who rescued his pets as well.
"[Vilagos] was amazing, he saved my life," Pressley told DNAinfo Wednesday as he returned to the house from the hospital, where he was treated for second-degree burns on his neck.
"They saved me by not letting me go back inside."
Therin Pressley suffered second-degree burns trying to save his dogs from his burning home in Corona on Nov. 17. He thanked firefighters for saving all of their lives. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
Vilagos, who grew up in Bayside and now lives in Suffolk County, downplayed his role as a hero — saying his work with the FDNY is a team effort.
"I don't know if hero's the right word, it's just what we do," he said.
Firefighters from Engine 316 in East Elmhurst stand in front of their house the morning after Lt. Adam Vilagos rescued a three-week-old baby from a house fire in Corona. (DNAinfo/Katie Honan)
It's the first time he's rescued a baby in his two decades with the FDNY, and he called it a "good day."
"It felt great that we were able to help out and give the kid a chance at a life," he said.
Nigro, whose father and Vilagos' grandfather was a member of the firehouse on Kearny Street, was emotional as he listened to his nephew tell his story.
"I couldn't be prouder," Nigro said.
"He was with me on Sept. 11, and he survived that. Now this child can go on to do something great in his life, and [Vilagos] is a part of this story."
The boy is in stable condition and is being treated at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, FDNY officials said.
Another civilian and a firefighter were also treated for minor injuries, officials said.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control about 10:14 a.m., FDNY officials said. The cause is still under investigation.
