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Paradise family names baby girl after paramedic who helped save mom from the Camp Fire

Anastasia Skinner started panicking on the phone, because she knew something was not right. She had a high-risk pregnancy, and she started having contractions.

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PARADISE, Calif. — Baby Zoele Mickey Skinner, just a week old, is a miracle child and her story proves just that.

Zoele's miracle started on the darkest day her parents, Daniel and Anastasia Skinner, had ever seen.

The Camp Fire was rapidly taking over their hometown of Paradise. Daniel was already on his way down the hill with their two sons while Anastasia, pregnant with Zoele, tried to rescue her mom's pets only a few miles away.

"[My mom’s] just hearing me crying and saying that I’m not going to get out," Anastasia said about the moment she knew she was trapped. "All of them, I need to tell them how much I love them. Get them out and don’t worry about me at this point," 

She started panicking on the phone because she knew something was not right. She had a high-risk pregnancy and she started having contractions.

"I couldn't breathe through them and I was reasoning with myself," Anastasia said.

Her husband urged her to hang up and call 911. She did and help arrived as soon as it could.

At this point, other officers were around Anastasia and were prepping her for birth.

"That's not going to work for me," Anastasia said about giving birth naturally. "If that happens, I won’t be here anymore and she might not either."

RELATED: 'The plan was out the window': How the Camp Fire became California’s deadliest

Anastasia knew she had to get out of Paradise and to a hospital. She needed a C-section.

That's when Butte County EMS Operations Chief Mickey Huber arrived.

"When he came he said, 'No, we need to do this and everyone needs to do this,'" Anastasia said about the moment Huber arrived. "He jumped in the car with me, and that's what got us through," 

It took a caravan of people to get Anastasia out of Paradise. Huber jumped in the backseat while a retired fire chief drove Anastasia's car. A deputy led the way, and an Oroville police officer drove Huber's car. 

"My whole focus was to keep her calm and delay labor as much as I could," Huber said. "Her contractions were about three minutes apart. So my main goal was to get her down the hill."

Anastasia was evaluated and later learned if she waited any longer in Paradise, she could have had major complications and she could have died.

"We don't believe I would be here if things didn't go exactly the right way, exactly at that time and exactly with him," Anastasia said.

After their escape, Anastasia could only recall Huber's first name. She wanted to meet him again. The Mercury News did an article on the Skinners and Huber reached out to them to connect with the family.

To honor their humble hero, they decided to name their daughter Zoele Mickey Skinner after Mickey Huber.

Huber got the chance to meet and hold Zoele two days after she was born at Enloe Medical Center.

"That was a very nice feeling," Huber said. "That was a top moment of my career."

Anastasia's husband Daniel had the initial idea to name her after Huber.

"I could have lost my wife and daughter," Daniel said. "I wanted to say thank you."

Zoele's story is a reminder, that when you put things into perspective, you will always find something to smile about.

"She's probably the best memory of my career," Huber said. "I got to see her and I got to hold her. It's one of the best memories in my career." 

To help the Skinners recover from the Camp Fire, click here

Continue the conversation with Madison Meyer on Facebook.

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