Firefighter Reunited With 4-Year-Old He Saved While on Vacation in Maui

It’s not often a 4-year-old can bring a firefighter to tears, but this Los Angeles firefighter and paramedic couldn’t hold back during an emotional reunion with the little girl he saved from drowning earlier this year.

LAFD firefighter Daniel Harris was reunited with 4-year-old Sophia Rouse for the first time since the dramatic rescue.

“He saved me,” Sophie told KCBS.

Harris had been off duty and on vacation at a Maui resort when he spotted Sophia sinking to the bottom of the pool.

“After about three or four minutes of trying to resuscitate her, I could feel her heartbeat,” Harris said.

Just months later, Sophia and her family traveled from Hawaii to California to thank the hero firefighter who saved her life.

“Daniel saved her and when I got my daughter back, it was the best day of my life,” her dad, Thomas Rouse, said. “There won’t be a day where I won’t think of Daniel.”

For Harris, the rescue was just as momentous.

“It’s heart-dropping just to see her walk,” Harris said. “She is walking because of the efforts I had that day.”

RELATED STORIES