An arrest has been made in an early morning house fire that resulted in the rescue of a small child by a South Bend Police Officer.

It was just after 1 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, when South Bend Police Officer Joshua Pennington was responding to an unrelated call for service when he was alerted of an active residential fire in the 1000 block of Huey Street.

Believing the house was occupied, Pennington kicked in the front door and found a young child on a couch on the first floor. The officer helped the child out of the house and then, along with Sergeant Tony Dawson, checked the rest of the home for other occupants.

No other occupants were located, and the South Bend Fire Department quickly arrived to extinguish the fire.

The child was taken to the hospital to be evaluated but did not suffer any serious or life-threatening injuries.

Around 2:50 a.m., the child’s mother arrived at the home.

Through an initial investigation, the mother, Tiffany Neealy, 40, was arrested on a preliminary charge of Neglect of a Dependent. She was transported to the St. Joseph County Jail, where she awaits a formal charging decision from the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.

This case remains under investigation by the South Bend Police Department, South Bend Fire Department and Department of Child Services.