Firefighter leaves blaze to deliver baby in car

A FIREFIGHTER turned midwife today at the scene of a major blaze after learning his maternity ward skills watching the Channel 4 series One Born Every Minute.

Ross McLaren delivered Antoni Zimnicki, who weighed 4.16kg (9lb 2oz), after his mum Ewelina and dad Jaroslaw got stuck in traffic around two miles from the North Middlesex Hospital in north London because of the fire.

Mrs Zimnicka, who is now in hospital with her healthy newborn, said: "I thought I had a lot of time as my first baby's labour had taken a long time. But then the contractions started coming quicker.

"We set off in the car but we got stuck in traffic almost straight away because of a fire. Both ends of the road were sealed off and there were fire engines all around us. My husband rushed out of the car and told police we needed help.

"The fire brigade put a barrier around us and helped me and just as the baby was born the ambulance crew arrived in time to cut the cord.

A spokesman for London Fire Brigade said: "Ross said he knew what to do as his wife is an avid viewer of One Born Every Minute."

Mr McLaren, part of the Blue Watch at Euston fire station and a firefighter for 15 years, had been tackling the blaze for some time when he was called to help.

"The husband was driving and was in a bit of a panic,” he said. “I could see that the lady in the back seat was in the middle of giving birth and when I looked I could see the baby's head.

"We began to give the mum oxygen and to try and reassure her. While Richie (Mr Hall) carried on doing that I ran round to where the baby was and kept telling the lady to push.

"Once he was born we rubbed him down to get his circulation going and when he started crying I knew it was going to be all right.”

He added: "It has definitely been one of the highlights of my career and it's not something I ever expected that I would do in my life.

By Press Association reporter