2 Sheriff's Deputies Rescue Elderly Malibu Woman From Her Burning Home
MALIBU (CBS) — Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies are being hailed as heroes for saving the life of an elderly woman whose house caught fire.
Deputy Mike Treinen, a 22-year veteran of the department, and Lieutenant Jim Royal, who has been with the sheriff's department for 18 years, were at a Malibu community meeting when they heard dispatchers sending units to a house fire at a familiar address, sheriff's officials said.
The two deputies recognized the address as the home of an elderly woman and her caretaker, with whom they had regular contact. Treinen and Royal rushed to the 89-year-old woman's home, which was completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters still hadn't arrived at the home, and deputies wanted to make sure no one was trapped inside, so they entered the burning house, according to officials.
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They found the elderly woman lying on the threshold of an open back door, unable to walk and having difficulty breathing. Treinen and Royal picked her up and carried her down the driveway to two other deputies who just arrived.
The woman was taken to an arriving ambulance and taken to a hospital, where she was treated for smoke inhalation.
Treinen and Royal reentered the burning home to check for the caretaker or anyone else, but no one else was in the residence.
Los Angeles County firefighters quickly knocked down the fire, which caused about a half million in damage. The fire is believed to have started accidentally.
Treinen and Royal were also taken to local hospitals after complaining of smoke inhalation-related symptoms and later released.
