Philip Blanks was only planning to spend some time at his friend's apartment when things got a little mixed up, leading to what others would say as a heroic act. The 28-year-old retired marine heard screams from another apartment building.
The building was on fire when Blanks went out to check it. He was barefoot and ran towards the burning building when he saw a woman with her child on the third floor of the building.
The woman threw her three-year-old son out of the burning building. Blanks ran towards the direction of the drop and caught the toddler just in time to save him from the fire.
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The heroic act
The heroic act of Blanks of saving the three-year-old boy, was captured on video.
According to an article from the Washington Post, when Blanks saw the house covered with smoke, he immediately focused on the toddler, despite the fire. While running fastly towards the building, he can hear people screaming to the woman on the third floor to throw the child down, which she eventually did.
Blanks somehow managed to save the toddler. He was milliseconds aways from letting the kid hit the ground.
The neighbors tried to calm the 3-year-old boy while waiting for the ambulance.
@maxprepsofficial Former WR Phillip Banks of Kalamazoo Central (MI) made the catch of his life! ##amazing ##save (Albert Bell III)##savedalife ##incredible ##catch ##hero ♬ original sound - jaiquonn
Blanks: football player and retired marine
Blanks is a retired member of the United States Marines. During high school and college, he was a member of the football team as the wide receiver. According to Blanks, his athletic training made him able to act accordingly that moment during the fire.
He said that his Marines training could account for his alertness. He added that the the Marines taught him not to be complacent and to have discipline always.
After retiring from the Marines, Blanks now works as a security guard, giving him the instinct to protect others.
Another heroic act
After throwing her toddler down the building, the mother of the child disappeared into the smoke. The mother was identified as Rachel Long. She did not survive the fire. According to neighbors, it could be because she was trying to save her eight-year-old daughter.
When a bystander heard about this, he decided to go into the burning house to try to save the child.
42-year-old D'Artagnan Alexander did not hesitate and went straight to the third floor of the burning building.
Alexander saw a girl on the floor and carried her outside. He said, "I didn't have time to think. My body just kicked into action, and I went in."
An instant connection
Because of what happened, Blanks and Alexander felt they were connected. Recently, they visited the kids and their father, who was at work when the fire happened.
Blanks shared that during the visit, the three of them felt like a family. He said, "It was very emotional."
They promised each other that they would try to help in any way they can. To cover all expenses in the hospital, a GoFundMe page has been set up for the family.
