ARLINGTON -- For his 10th birthday, Koregan Quintanilla asked his adoptive family for a special gift: He wanted to visit the south Arlington fire station where his birth mother left him when he was only days old.
On Thursday night, the Watauga fourth-grader's wish came true.At the emotional reunion, Koregan rode in a firetruck and visited with Wes Keck, the firefighter who spotted him sleeping in an infant carrier on the Collins Street fire station's patio the morning of Nov. 9, 2002."I'm excited you're here. I've thought about you a million times," Keck told Koregan, adding that he could visit the station anytime.Koregan said he's dreamed of becoming a firefighter since he was 6.He considers Keck and the crew at Station 12 his "first family," his adoptive father, Daniel Quintanilla, told the firefighters.With a huge grin, Koregan followed Keck on a tour of the station and its equipment."I was excited that I got to meet him. He was very nice," Koregan said. "I'm glad I got to come here and see everyone because this is my fire station where I was abandoned."Firefighters gave Koregan a Fire Department shirt, cap and patch and showed him the photos they've kept since the day he arrived unexpectedly.He is the only baby ever left at an Arlington fire station, department officials said.Keck has never forgotten the chilly morning.It was about 6:30 a.m., just 30 minutes before his shift ended, when he glanced out the station's kitchen window while making coffee and spotted an infant carrier covered by a blanket on the patio."I did a double take because you don't expect to see that," Keck recalled. "I yelled out to the other two guys, 'We got a gift overnight.'"Inside the carrier were a baby bottle and an extra diaper but no clues about why the baby was abandoned.Keck, who has four children of his own, said he has often wondered what became of the boy. On Thursday, he learned that Koregan has five adopted sisters."I've thought about him, wondering how he was doing. It's nice to know he's got a big family and people that really care about him," Keck said.Last month, Rebecca Quintanilla approached the Arlington Fire Department to arrange the visit for her son, who had been telling friends and family that Fire Station 12 was the place he would go if he could travel anywhere in the world."He was more interested in coming to this place, seeing this spot where his birth mom left him safely," she said.Under the state's Baby Moses Law, fire stations and hospitals are designated as safe places where parents can leave unharmed children less than 60 days old without fear of criminal prosecution.In 2006, Arlington installed Safe Baby Site signs at all its fire stations to raise awareness of the option."I believe his birth mom was kind and good because he is kind and good," Rebecca Quintanilla said."She made a very hard choice but a great choice."Susan Schrock, 817-709-7578Twitter: @susanschrockHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
