LAYTON — A woman was rescued from a house fire early Sunday morning thanks to the help of police officers who first arrived on scene, firefighters said.
About 5:50 a.m., a resident of a home at 2780 E. Summerwood Drive called 911 after waking up to the smell of smoke and realizing her basement was on fire, said Layton Fire Battalion Chief Jason Cook.
Late Sunday evening, he said the fire appeared to be caused by an older space heater in the basement.
Two other occupants were able to escape the home, but the woman got lost in the smoke, said Layton police officer Mitchell Porter.
Porter was among the first to get to the home to help.
“When I arrived, there were people outside who informed me that the woman on the phone was still inside the house. There was flames and smoke coming out of the house. So at that point, we knew that there was somebody still on the phone with dispatch inside, and so we had to go get her out,” Porter recalled Sunday afternoon.
In an attempt to get inside, Porter tried the front door, but thick smoke made entry out of the question. He went to a back window, broke it and called out to the woman inside. She heard his voice and those of other officers, and followed them to the window.
“It was really smoky, couldn’t really get into the window because of the amount of smoke. I couldn’t see what I was doing. And so since we had voice contact, we just let her make it out to us,” Porter said.
“Once I had her hand, I was kind of done at that point, so other officers who had responded at that point came and pulled me out of the window well, and got her out of the window,” Porter said.
During the rescue attempt, he said, “nothing was going through my mind, I was just trying to get somebody out of that house.”
Porter was quick to deflect credit for helping rescue the woman.
“I was just doing a job. I had other officers who pulled me out of the window well. If they didn’t show up and help me, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” he said.
An officer carried the woman to an ambulance, and she was treated for smoke inhalation. Another occupant of the home was also treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
A dog died in the blaze.
The fire caused significant damage estimated at $450,000, Cook said.
Layton police officer Cody Bowman, who also aided in the rescue, expressed surprise that the woman was able to escape through the window.
“It appeared small at the time,” he said. “With all the smoke coming out, I was surprised that she was talking to us, to be honest. When she got her hand out, we said, ‘Don’t let go of her hand ... because if you let go of her hand, we might lose her,’” he recalled.
“It was relief. It was major relief,” Bowman said of the moment when the woman’s hand reached out to them.
When you can’t see or breathe through smoke, it’s easy to get lost inside your own house, according to Porter.
“She’d gotten disoriented, and that’s why the callouts were so important, she was able to find an exit because of us,” he said.
“Just remember that if you ever have smoke or anything like that in your house, leave the house as fast as possible. Find any exit. There’s no reason to stay inside a house once you smell smoke, and it makes a dangerous situation for police officers and firefighters,” Porter added.
Contributing: Jen Riess