Distraught mother abandons her children at fire station
Firefighters at a US fire station were left facing a different type of emergency when a grieving mother turned up unannounced.
The woman arrived at Phoenix Fire Station 22 in Arizona this week in a distressed state with her two young children.
"When I approached her and asked how we can assist her, she said she was here to hand over her children," firefighter Elliot Simmons told US television station Fox10.
Mr Simmons recognised the woman after responding to a call out to her property last year when the woman's baby died unexpectedly.
"She definitely suffered immensely because of the loss of that child," he said.
"That's why she stated to me that she brought her kids down and she had to leave them with us. She made it very clear she can no longer mentally care for these children."
The fire station operates under the safe haven law where babies can be handed in to the station if parents are unable to care for them anymore.
Despite the woman's children not meeting the requirements of the law due to their age, Mr Simmons and his team managed to organise the correct care for the woman and the children.
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Firefighter Ben Lindquist said there was no judgement from the department and that the woman was doing what she had to do to ensure the safety of her children.
"She just had some hard times and was dealing with some things and wanted what was best for her kids," firefighter Ben Lindquist explained.
According to the station the mother is now receiving the necessary treatment while her children have been placed with family by the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
