Decades after a fireman rescued them from their burning home, a brother and sister are finally thanking him.
In 1959, Michael and Linda Hart were taking a nap on the second story of their Maryland home when a fire started downstairs. According to WJLA, they were 2 and 3 years old at the time.
Their mother managed to make it out of the house and called 911.
Firefighter Stu Newman arrived minutes later and rushed inside with another firefighter, who has since died, and an unidentified off-duty police officer.
Newman and other first responders were able to get both children out safely.
It’s a story both Michael and Linda have told many times over the past few decades. They never knew the name of the firefighter who saved them, until now.
While going through old family photos, Michael found an old newspaper clipping about the house fire.
"I knew I owed my life to a firefighter, but I never thought I'd know his name," Michael told ABC News. "It wasn't until I saw his name that it inspired me to find out more."
According to ABC News, Michael shared the clipping with a friend, who is also a firefighter, and through social media they were able to track down Newman.
Newman, now 84 and retired, reunited with the Harts on Tuesday at a special reunion.
“I started to shake his hand, but I knew that wasn't enough so I threw my arms around him and gave him a hug and my sister basically did the same thing," Michael Hart, now 61, told ABC News. "It was absolutely amazing. He was exactly how I thought he would be, gracious and kind and so humble."
Newman called the meeting "extraordinary."
"I couldn’t think of any other word that would identify that,” he said. “Of course, there were all these thank yous. His sister is a pastor in Washington state and she said they couldn’t have done these things if it hadn’t been for me.”
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