A neighbor called 911 at 11:09 a. m. after seeing smoke coming from a house in the 165 block of 54th Street 'Southeast.
The man who lives in the home was able to get his older child and the family dog out of the house on fire. Just then Monroe police officers arrived. The father said his younger child was still on the upper level of the house but he didn't know where.
Officers did a quick search of the house but couldn't find the girl. One of them closed the door to the master bedroom, where the fire started, controlling it and slowing its spread. Firefighters arrived and after searching the closet and narrow beds in another bedroom, one firefighter noticed the closed toy box at the foot of the bed.
"She wasn't making sounds," later the firefighter said of the girl, whose exact age he didn't know. "I opened it up and saw her. She was lying in the toy box just balled up."
Firefighters got the girl outside, where she was examined by doctors and found to be fine. The fire was quickly put out. The police officer who managed to shut the master bedroom door was highly praised. And the girl's father was so thankful to firefighters.
