PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A brand new firefighter proved his mettle on one of his first fire calls by saving the life of a little boy.

As huge flames ripped through the roof of the Chestnut Hills Apartments on Wednesday, firefighters raced in, battling the heat and thick smoke.

Every one had gotten out except one one scared little boy. His mother wasn't home when the fire started, but police say she ran up to the building telling firefighters her 22-month-old was still inside.

"Frantic, like your child is drowning or something. Yeah, any mother would notice the face on her," witness Windy Rasmussen.

That's when Capt. Jeff Power and rookie firefighter Mike Bellerive marched into the smoke and flames to find him.

"I was able to hear the little guy screaming from inside his bedroom. He had his door shut, which was extremely lucky that he was in the right place," said Bellerive.

The closed bedroom door bought enough time for Bellerive to make the rescue.

"Opened the door and he was pretty scared. With the mask on and all that we're pretty scary looking to a 2-year-old, but I just grabbed him and took him out," he said.

Despite the smoke and heat he endured, the baby is expected to be OK.

Bellerive just started his career fighting fires and has already experienced something many firefighters never do, but the rookie is staying humble.

"I still got a lot of mistakes to make, daily," he said, laughing.