By Megan Jungwi

A  mother’s love knows no bounds - and Nabila Nazli’s story exemplifies the saying perfectly. In November 2006, Nabila’s New York apartment caught on fire. Inside the flaming apartment were Nabila’s five children - including her 4-week-old twin sons and her five year old daughter. She managed to save all five of her children while sustaining second degree burns to her own body.

As flames consumed Nabila’s apartment, neighbors raced to her aid but could not get into the building. Her second-story apartment window, 20 feet above the ground, made escape difficult. However, her neighbors did not give up on the family and were able to stretch out a quilt as a makeshift net in which to catch Nabila’s children. Four of the children safely dropped into the quilt and escaped the fire. Nabila dropped her month old twin boys into the net one by one; then helped her older children - aged four and ten - jump out of the window.

However, Nabila’s five year old daughter, Nimrah, was too afraid to jump. Ignoring the pleas of her neighbors, Nabila refused to leave her daughter behind. Closing the door to her bedroom, Nabila was able to keep the flames at bay a little longer. Firefighters eventually found the mother lying unconscious from smoke inhalation, cradling her also unconscious daughter. One firefighter handed Nimrah to a colleague to carry down the ladder at the window, while other firefighters carried Nabila down the stairs.

The fire burned quickly and was out within an hour. Nine firemen suffered minor injuries while taking the fire down. Nabila, however, suffered severe burns, requiring skin graft surgery and months of hospitalization. The apartment was decimated and few of their possessions made it through. Yet all of Nabila’s children survived - and that is what matters most to a mother. 

The movie Backdraft features firefighters in action.