Resident Honored for Saving Child

Cedric White, a resident, risked his life by entering a burning apartment building to assist in the evacuation and saving a woman and child on Aug. 29.

Chief Jackie Gibbs and presented a commendation for the heroic act of bravery to White at the Wednesday.

The received a call Aug. 29 for an apartment fire at 151 Robeson Court. During the investigation, the department discovered that White went inside the burning building to help evacuate the tenants.

White went from apartment to apartment, banging on doors and getting people out, Gibbs said.

"He laid aside his own safety and made sure that the fire was the only thing we had to take care of and that the people were safe," Gibbs said.

Someone told White that a child was still upstairs as the apartment filled with smoke, and he went upstairs to search for the child without regard for his personal safety, eventually finding and rescuing him.