TAMPA, Fla. – A little boy severely injured in a house fire near Tampa is making a big comeback on the baseball diamond.
The resilient 9-year-old spent nearly two weeks fighting for his life in the hospital. Now, more than a year later, his perseverance is taking him to the brink of a baseball championship.
Owen Ares was seen in harrowing body camera video being pulled from his burning home by Hillsborough County deputies last summer.
Owen was put on a ventilator and spent nearly two weeks recovering from smoke inhalation and second-degree burns.
“I’ll look at the pictures from when he was in the hospital and seeing the first moment he sat up or walked for the first time, and now he’s in the playoffs. He’s definitely thrived and done well,” Karen McGinnis, his mother, said.
Having never played baseball before, Ares is now on a team that went 11-0.
“I thought it would be fun to try a new thing,” Owen said.
His coach described Ares as a joy to be around both on and off the field.
“Pulled from a traumatic fire like that, and having to relearn to walk and all kinds of things, and within a year, he’s out here playing baseball,” said baseball coach Jack Staten.
Despite the trauma, Owen says he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.
“I wanted to not let it pull me down. I want to play and have fun,” he said.
While his team didn’t win it all, Owen continues to win at life.
“It’s his first year of baseball, and he’s come a long way since the start of the season. He’s got base hits now. He’s fielding the ball and making the plays, and he’s really enjoying what he’s doing,” Staten added.
His mom said it was a traumatic time for everyone, and at times, hope was out of reach. But, she says she’ll forever be grateful for the first responders, doctors, and the community.
“To know that he survived through the fire, and he’s here with us now, and we can go on with our lives, I’m just so proud of him. He’s been so strong through this whole thing,” McGinnis said.
The fire started from an unattended fire pit or electrical issue. McGinnis urges families to create an emergency plan and test their smoke detectors to be prepared in case of an emergency.