HOUSTON – A woman left a newborn girl with firefighters Tuesday at a southwest Houston fire station.
The incident was reported about 12:30 a.m. at Houston Fire Department's Station 21 on Highway 90 Alt near Bellfort Avenue.
According to Houston police, firefighters reported that a woman holding a baby came inside the station, handed the child to firefighters and left.
Paramedics said they believe the baby, who appeared to be uninjured, was born within a couple of hours of being left at the fire station.
The child will be placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. CPS will have 45 days to file for legal temporary custody of the baby, though the filing typically happens within one or two days. Then the girl will be a ward of the state and put up for adoption.
Investigators said it's not clear if the woman who dropped off the child is the newborn's mother.
"We are more concerned with the safety of the child than who they belong to at that point," said Lt. Larry Crown, of the Houston Police Department.
Texas' Safe Haven law, also known as the Baby Moses law, allows parents to leave their child, who is 2 months old or less, at any hospital, fire station or emergency medical services station in the state, provided the child is unharmed and give to an employee of the facility.