Postal Worker Pulls Double Duty As Rescuer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Not even fire could get in the way of a Northwest Indiana mail carrier's route.
She's being hailed a hero for saving a man and a dog from a house fire.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
Connie Allen was on her normal mail route Tuesday, as she's done for the past 18 years in Portage, Indiana.
"Glad I was here at the right time, right moment," said postal worker Connie Allen. "I pulled up and saw flames shooting out the window and the side of the garage."
She saw cars in the driveway of the now badly charred home. Assuming someone was inside, Allen went straight for the door.
Dan Komenda Jr. was inside napping before work as his garage burned.
"Next thing you know I hear someone banging on the door," said Komenda. "I open the door, she says get your dog, get out of your house it's on fire."
"I think she saved the house. She saved me, possibly saved my dog. She made a big difference," said Komenda.
Personal belongings were destroyed. There's a hole in the roof. But Komenda and dog Casey are also whole.
Thanks to the neighborhood mail woman Connie, who even finished her daily route.
"It's my job," laughed Allen. "I just had to continue."
The Portage Fire Chief said Allen's quick thinking saved firefighter precious minutes of searching the home, and they were then able to focus on fighting the fire opposed to searching it first.
