Christmas Rescue Came on Angels’ Wings : Heroism: Man who saved seven of his children and grandchildren from apartment fire says he must have had a heavenly guardian.

Lamar Childress says a guardian angel must have been watching over him and seven of his young children and grandchildren when they escaped almost certain death in a fast-moving apartment fire.

But fire officials, neighbors and relatives said Saturday that it was Childress who worked the Christmas miracle all by himself.

Slowed by years of working in the nearby shipyards, Childress, a retired welder, nevertheless managed to rush the seven youngsters into a far corner of his burning Wilmington apartment on Christmas Day, pry loose iron security bars and lift them out a first-floor window to safety.

“I’m just happy that everything turned out all right,” said Childress, 52. “I have a wonderful Christmas present.”

On Saturday as Childress returned to the gutted apartment, 14-year-old Richard Lopez stopped his bike and pointed out his neighbor to his friends. “He’s a hero right there, he is,” Richard said, proudly. “He put them kids out of there one by one.”

Childress had returned to the two-bedroom apartment where he lived with his wife and some of the seven children to see if anything remained, but there was nothing. All the Christmas toys for his young son and his two daughters’ children were consumed by flames. The stove and TV were little more than twisted bits of charred metal lying on the lawn.

But none of that seemed to matter to Childress, a wiry man with a crew cut and scruffy goatee. He smiled relentlessly as he relaxed with family members at his grown daughter’s nearby apartment, his young children and grandchildren at his feet.

Firefighters said that if Childress had not kept his wits about him, the fire would have ended in tragedy.

Childress was baby-sitting the children about 1:15 p.m. Friday, watching football in the back bedroom, when his 3-year-old son Andre accidentally set the Christmas tree ablaze while playing with a lighter. By the time Childress saw the flames, the front room was thick with black smoke, and the children--ages 11 months to 10 years--were running and screaming. With the fast-moving flames blocking the front door and climbing the walls and ceiling, Childress grabbed the youngest ones and shooed the older children into a back bedroom.

Before firefighters could put out the blaze 13 minutes later, Childress had put the last child out the window. Then he climbed out of the window himself as flames consumed the bedroom.

“If he hadn’t acted as quickly as he did, there easily could have been seven fatalities, seven dead children,” said city Fire Battalion Chief Dave Badgett. “Grandpa did a pretty good job.”

Childress said he was not frightened until about 5 a.m. Saturday, when he was finally alone with his thoughts. “That’s when I realized what happened,” he said. “I must have had a guardian angel. I had one yesterday anyway; that wasn’t me in there protecting the kids.”

Childress retired from the shipyard several years ago with disabilities that include arms and legs weakened by fractures. But on Christmas, his injuries momentarily forgotten, Childress was able to outmaneuver a blaze that, as 6-year-old Stephon said, “looked like it had eyeballs--it followed us into every room.”

The baby, 11-month-old Michael Smith, was taken by ambulance to Bay Harbor Hospital in Harbor City with first- and second-degree burns on his head, arms and legs, authorities said. He was in stable condition Saturday at County-USC Medical Center’s burn center. There were no other injuries.

On Saturday, Andre and the other children were busy playing with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Malibu Barbie dolls and other toys that firefighters donated. And Childress’ apartment manager was fixing up another apartment so the family would have a place stay.

The Fire Department also plans to give Childress an official commendation, the highest honor it can bestow on a civilian, and one given only a few times a year throughout the city, Badgett said.

Childress said the department can keep the commendation. “I don’t need nothing,” he said, grinning. “I got what I want. I got the kids.”