A 12-year-old girl who fell 14-stories down a chimney and lived to tell about is in an intensive care unit at a New York hospital.

According to reports, Grace Bergere was showing her cousin who was visiting from California the view of the New York City skyline from the rooftop of the building she lives in with her parents Saturday night when she climbed a 25-foot ladder up a chimney and fell into it upon reaching the top.

Firefighters called to the scene told reporters they expected to find a dead girl. Instead, Grace stuck her hand out of the furnace in the basement, where a mound of soot broke her fall. Covered in the life-saving ash, she reportedly was having trouble breathing and was in pain, but was able to communicate with her rescuers.

Her father told the New York Daily News that she is not talking about the fall yet, as she recovers from her broken hip and cuts and bruises. He also said she injured three vertebrae as well, but is expected to make a full recovery.

He told the media that he is extremely grateful for the "miracle" of their daughter's preserved life, and her mother is reportedly staying by her side in the hospital.