LAKELAND, Fla. (WSVN) — A good Samaritan shared the terrifying moments when he tried to rescue two children from a fiery crash in a Lakeland neighborhood, but only one would make it out alive. Anthony Slater is recovering in the hospital with severe burns on his arms. He said he jumped into action Thursday when he heard a father’s desperate pleas to save his children trapped inside a burning car. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the crash took place in a wooded area near the intersection of Broadway Street and Lake Parker Drive East. Slater said he was able to reach a 3-year-old boy who was trapped in the back seat of the white Kia sedan. “It took me a while to get him out, and as I got him out, I noticed that there was another little girl next to him in a car seat, fumbling around, unconscious,” he said. Slater said did everything he could to save her after she regained consciousness. “She was crying, and I was talking to her, trying to calm her down, and I had to leave her,” he said. Meanwhile, neighbors frantically called 911 after they heard the desperate pleas for help. “He was trying, and he was screaming, ‘Help, help,’ and there’s nobody to help,'” said witness Hal Clark, “and the flames were getting in, and you couldn’t even get to, and it was too late.” Deputies said the girl did not survive. As for Slater, he said recovering will take time. “Really sad for her, that I couldn’t save her life, but I’m glad that I was able to save her brother,” he said, Officials with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office called Slater a hero. They said the 3-year-old boy and his father are expected be OK.