ROK firefighters at the scene of a blaze (illustrative photo). — XINHUA Photo

DAEJEON — Republic of Korea's (RoK) firefighters saved a Vietnamese mother and her one-year-old daughter from a burning apartment on Wednesday night, catching the baby in a blanket after her mother dropped her from a third-floor window.

The fire broke out around 11.22pm (local time) on Wednesday in an apartment in RoK's Daejeon City, fire officials said on Thursday, according to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in RoK.

Flames had already engulfed the unit by the time crews arrived. The mother, a Vietnamese woman in her twenties, and her daughter were trapped in the bathroom, pounding on a small window and screaming for help.

Firefighters were setting up a rescue air cushion but judged it wouldn't be ready fast enough. Instead, they had the mother lower her daughter out the window while several firefighters stretched out a blanket below.

The baby landed safely.

The mother jumped moments later, once the cushion had finished inflating. She, her daughter and another resident were treated for smoke inhalation. None was seriously hurt, authorities said.

Firefighters evacuated 15 other residents as a precaution and had the fire fully out within 55 minutes. Its cause is still under investigation. — VNS