A North Carolina family celebrated a homecoming they didn’t know they would have the chance to see.
Emily Hinton, 1, was welcomed home Thursday by family, friends and neighbors six months after she was severely burned in an explosion.
Charlotte firefighters escorted Emily home and engine driver Jason Dickson drove the truck to a Winston-Salem burn center to escort the Hinton family back.
“As a parent and a firefighter, it makes me feel really warm,” Dickson told WSOC-TV.
The last time Charlotte firefighters were at the home was in September.
A gas can exploded while Emily's grandmother, Belinda Carr, was burning trash outside.
"I'm grandma. I'm supposed to take care of her you know, and that day was just horrible," Carr, who was injured that day, told WSOC-TV's Liz Foster.
Emily has undergone seven surgeries after being in a medically-induced coma, Carr said.
"We could've lost her, and we didn't," Carr said.
Emily's parents held her briefly outside Thursday so everyone could see her and wave.
Carr thanked the community for their prayers and financial support.
"God gets all the glory that she's here," Carr said.
The Firefighters' Burned Children Fund, which was formed by Charlotte firefighters, has also been helping the family with financial and emotional support.
Emily has a long road ahead in recovery. Her next major surgery is in two months, but she will need continuing medical care her entire life.
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