The actions of a Gilford, N.H. police officer are being praised after he saved two people from a burning home during a snowstorm Sunday night.
Officer Curtis Mailloux rescued an elderly couple as their home on Old Lakeshore Drive filled with smoke and flames around 11 p.m., according to WMUR-TV.
The three-year veteran of the force was the first to arrive at the scene and said that training, instinct and adrenaline took over.
"It all happened so fast," Mailloux told the news station. "When I got to the front door, I actually observed a male standing in the living room area I checked the door, and the door was locked. At which time, I broke into the door. I kicked the door down."
The officer carried a man out of the house before going back in to rescue the man's wife.
The couple was disoriented and it wasn't clear if they would have made it out on their own.
All three were transported to a local hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
"He took an oath to protect and serve, like everybody else did, and he certainly held up to that bargain last night," Gilford Police Chief Anthony Bean Burpee said Monday.
The damage to the home was estimated at $150,000.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze, but it is believed the woodstove or chimney played a role.
