Woman hailed a hero after dramatic rescue of 3 children from drowning in icy pond: 'It had to be me'

Three Colorado children are lucky to be alive after falling into an icy pond over the weekend.

What are the details?

According to KCNC-TV, 23-year-old Dusti Talavera was looking out the window of her Arapahoe County kitchen on Sunday when she saw three children fall through the ice and into a deep pond near her home.

“I was looking out my window and saw the kids fall in,” Talavera recalled. “Before I realized it, I was on the pond pulling the two kids out, and that’s when I fell in the pond for the third kid.”

Talavera told the station that she didn't hesitate — and knew it was imperative that she act fast.

“I knew it was me. It had to be me,” she reasoned.

Two of the three children made it safely out of the pond, the station reported, but the third child — a 6-year-old girl — was not breathing by the time Talavera was able to pull her from the pond and onto the sidewalk.

According to KUSA-TV, a 16-year-old boy — a cousin of the 6-year-old girl — ran to help the 23-year-old and threw out a rope to help her pull herself and the little girl out of the water.

“I’m thankful for that young man who threw the rope,” Talavera told the station. “I would have been in there longer, she would have been in there longer. I don’t know what would have happened.”

Not only was the child not breathing at the time, she also was reportedly without a pulse.

First responders quickly arrived on the scene and began CPR on the unconscious child.

Arapahoe County Sheriff's Deputy Justin Dillard said that seeing the child begin to breathe was a "massive relief."

The unnamed child was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was ultimately transferred to Denver Health and admitted in serious condition. She is expected to recover.

South Metro Fire Engineer Corey Sutton lauded Talavera's bravery.

"I have four boys, and what she did was amazing," Sutton said, according to KUSA. "We were back at the fire station talking about how brave she was, how great the officers did. I hope that if this happened to one of mine, somebody like her was close by."

Local officials say that it's important for children to stay off icy ponds — especially when the thickness of the ice is unknown.