Feb. 17--A Fresno police officer and a civilian risked their lives this morning to pull a woman from a burning mobile home.
The woman, in her 80s, was taken to a hospital in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns.
The officer, 25-year veteran Steve Coleman, was treated for smoke inhalation. By 2 p.m., he was back on duty, a police department spokesman said.
The Fresno Fire Department did not identify the civilian, but KFSN (Channel 30.1) said he is a photographer at the station.
A man who lives in the mobile home next door also was hospitalized with less serious injures after flames spread.
The two-alarm blaze broke out at 8:50 a.m. at Sunset West Mobile Home Park, 3187 N. Parkway Drive, on the west side of Highway 99 near Shields Avenue.
Battalion Chief Tony Escobedo said the police officer and the civilian were the first to arrive at the fire. He said the officer used a piece of wood to shield himself and the woman from the flames as she was taken from the burning home.
The cause of the fire, which destroyed the mobile home, was under investigation.
The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6339.
Copyright 2012 - The Fresno Bee, Calif.
