A NEWPORT woman carried from her blazing home hours before giving birth praised the rescuers last night who saved her and her baby.
Speaking from her bed at the city's Royal Gwent Hospital yesterday, Deborah Cook said it was a "massive relief" when she heard her baby daughter, Cerys Marie, had survived the ordeal.
Both mother and child are doing well after a fire ripped through their terrace home in Bristol Street, Maindee, in the early hours of Friday.
After being rescued by neighbours, the 25-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, later gave birth by emergency Caesarean.
"When I came round in the ambulance the first thing I asked was whether my baby was OK," said the former Caldicot Comprehensive School pupil.
"I was told I was being taken for tests. It was like I was in a dream - I couldn't believe it was happening.
"I woke up after the Caesarean at 4pm on Friday and still thought I was dreaming. It was a massive relief to hear my baby was OK.
"I saw her for the first time on Sunday - it was amazing to see her alive and well.
"But it's only thanks to the people who rescued us that we are here today - I can't thank them enough."
Miss Cook and her partner, Mr Watkins, returned from their local pub on Thursday night at around 11pm.
Mr Watkins put a chip pan on the kitchen stove and went to the living-room, where he and his partner dozed off. They woke at 1am to find the house on fire.
Mr Watkins escaped safely, but because Miss Cook has a curvature of the spine which makes walking difficult, she lay on the living-room floor, unable to move.
But brave neighbours crawled in and pulled her to safety before firefighters arrived.
One, Billy Cockeram, who lives opposite, told the Argus: "I held a torch while the other two picked her up and carried her outside by her shoulders and ankles."
Miss Cook said: "There was just so much smoke - I could not see who was taking me to safety. When I got out I was hysterical."
The couple are now looking for somewhere to stay until their house is restored.
"It's devastating that the fire has caused so much damage - the kitchen is gutted," she said. "I just hope my baby has better luck because it all happened on Friday 13."
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