Newborn Rescued by Firefighters After Tunnel Birth in Las Vegas
July 3, 2026
A newborn baby is safe and healthy following an extraordinary rescue by firefighters in Las Vegas, after an emergency delivery took place in a flood control tunnel.
Las Vegas Firefighters Local 1285
The incident occurred on June 17, when Las Vegas Fire and Rescue teams were dispatched to assist a woman in labor within one of the city’s underground channels. Upon arrival, firefighter paramedic Eric Paul was confronted with a newborn who was not breathing.
“A bystander said, ‘Help him,'” Paul remembered. “The cord was still attached. The placenta was still attached. He wasn’t responding initially.”
Inside the tunnel, Paul swiftly worked to clear the infant’s airway, stimulate him, and clamp the umbilical cord to evaluate the newborn’s condition.
This was not Paul’s first experience with delivering a baby under pressure.
“I delivered my oldest two, actually, and I think on the streets probably six or seven over the years,” he mentioned.
Thankfully, the baby soon responded positively to the interventions.
“The baby came around, and he was actually very, very healthy,” Paul noted. “This went about as well as you could ever hope for.”
Following the birth, the baby’s mother was able to leave the tunnel and was transported with her child to a nearby hospital, where both are reportedly doing well.
Assistant Chief of Suppression Ken Kreutzer emphasized the risk faced by unhoused individuals who shelter in Southern Nevada’s flood tunnels, where dangers include unexpected flash floods and frequent fires—hundreds of which were reported in just the past year.
“I understand why they do it. It’s much cooler down there. It’s a shelter from the sun and the elements,” Paul said. “But it’s extraordinarily dangerous, not only for them, but for those of us that go down when things do get out of hand to rescue them.”
For this newborn, a potentially tragic start was turned into a hopeful beginning, thanks to the timely and effective actions of the rescuers.
