Toddler burnt in blaze that killed mother & sister celebrates birthday with firefighters who saved him

The tot was just 10 months old when the blaze destroyed his family's lives.

A US toddler who survived a devastating fire that claimed the lives of his mother, sister and grandfather has celebrated his 3rd birthday alongside the firemen who saved him. Little Liam Rodriguez was left with burns on over 95% of his tiny body two years ago when an arsonist's fire blazed through their home in Queens, New York, killing his three family members. Elizabeth Rodriguez, 35, her father Claudio, 76, and her 6-year-old daughter Emma all died from their injuries in the fire of July 10, 2019. The fire also killed the man who set it, a down-on-his-luck family friend turned vengeful house guest. He had used gasoline to set the house ablaze after being asked to leave the property. Liam, then 10 months old, survived but faced a number of ongoing challenges – including an induced coma, a series of surgeries and amputations of his left foot, the toes on his right foot and a finger on his left hand. Relatives adopted the boy as he faced continued skin grafts and plastic surgery. "That night the doctors said they had less than a 1% chance of surviving," Denise Moreno, a relative and Liam’s godmother, told New York Daily News. "Both him and Elizabeth had burns to over 95% of their body. I don’t think anybody had seen something to this level.” Denise decided to send Liam to a special burn unit in Galveston, Texas, and says that he's come such a long way since. “He’s going to have to go through a lot more therapy but I think eventually he will catch up to be the most normal child as you can possibly get him to be,” she said. “He will talk. He’s already having baby talk which is great, but there is a lot more surgery down the road, physical therapy, surgery for prosthetic legs. But that’s all doable.” Elizabeth's sister, Rafelina Moreno, now takes care of her nephew in the house where the fire took place. Her background in nursing makes her well-suited to being his carer. Weeks after the fire, the tot's heart stopped, and she was faced with the decision of whether or not to allow doctors to perform CPR. Despite the risks due to her nephew's fragility, she gave them the go-ahead and he powered through. Two years on, the firefighters who rescued Liam from the blaze have thrown him a Sesame Street-themed party complete with an Elmo cake for his third birthday this month. [caption id="attachment_396426" align="alignnone" width="620"] Credit: New York Daily News[/caption] "It’s great to see him just happy and with so much support and to see him at the party with so many people loving him and supporting him,” said firefighter Steven Keenan, who found Liam in his dying mother's arms. "It was great to see that. It was a joyous occasion to see him. He has the mind of a 3-year-old. He loves Sesame Street, loves to live. "The pictures at the beginning were very difficult to look at seeing how much this child would have to overcome in life, but with every update it was great to see he was eating more on his own, breathing on his own – it was great to see his growth," the firefighter added. Despite all the challenges Liam has faced and will continue to face, it's lovely to see he has so many wonderful people supporting him, rooting for him, and celebrating him.