Tennessee firefighter hailed a hero after photo of him cradling crying baby goes viral

A Tennessee firefighter is being hailed a hero after a photo of him comforting a crying baby at the scene of a car crash went viral on Wednesday.

According to a Facebook post uploaded by the Chattanooga Fire Department, the photo was taken after Capt. Chris Blazek arrived at the scene of a car crash, involving a pregnant mother and her three children.

The post states that the youngest child was “screaming hysterically,” and Blazek, who has four daughters of his own, did a quick physical check to make sure the young girl was unharmed. She then lay her head on his shoulder.

“She immediately laid her head on my shoulder. Shortly after that, I decided that my guys had the scene under control, so I decided to sit and take a break with my new friend. She immediately fell asleep in my arms,” Blazek said in the Facebook statement.

The car crash took place on Highway 58 and involved the mother and her three children who were in the backseat of the vehicle. The children’s ages ranged from four months to seven years.

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The two older girls were unharmed in the crash as well, though their mother was transported to the hospital.

While Blazek didn’t identify the mother or the three girls in the post, Whittley Hightower thanked the firefighter in the comments for being there for her and her three girls during “such a scary moment.”

“I really want to say thank you for being there for my three girls. it was such a scary moment for all of us. God bless you, Hightower wrote. 

The photo was taken by a fellow Engine 6 firefighter, Kyle Vradenburgh. “For firefighters, this is what’s it’s all about,” the department wrote above the picture.