The Kanawha County Commission recognized a group of firefighters and emergency personnel for their work in rescuing four children from a November house fire in Marmet.
The house already was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived and even worse - there were four children trapped inside, including a 15-month-old boy upstairs.
Firefighters crawled through the house to find the children. When Marmet Fire Chief Michael McGhee got to the baby he was afraid the boy had died.
"When I got to him, I thought the worst," McGhee said.
Instead, he saw the child take a breath and brought him downstairs and handed him to EMS personnel on hand.
The child is still alive and is recuperating.
"I get choked up talking about it," said C.W. Sigman, Kanawha County Fire Coordinator.
The group received a standing ovation during Thursday evening's commission meeting.
Commissioners moved quickly through the only other business they had on the agenda - a public hearing for the expansion of the Union Public Service District.
No one came to the meeting to speak on behalf of the public.
The expansion would bring 170 customers in the Cross Lanes area into the public service district.
The proposed plan would provide sewer service to 28 customers in the Melton Aveune and Crest Drive area near 40th Street and an extension in the Rocky Fork area.
Now that the commission has approved the proposal it will go to the Public Service Commission for approval.
Also at the meeting, commissioners discussed now-former Marmet Mayor Bill Pauley's place on the Ambulance Board. A three-judge panel removed Pauley from office for misconduct Thursday. The commission now is considering removing him from the board.
Commission President Kent Carper and commissioners Dave Hardy and Hoppy Shores expressed their gratitude for the services that he performed for the town of Marmet for more than 30 years.
Reach Daniel Desrochers at dan.desrochers@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or on twitter at @drdesrochers.