‘We couldn’t breathe’: Trooper, security officer rescue man from Lincoln house fire
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Lincoln Fire & Rescue says one person suffered life-threatening injuries early Thursday morning in a fire at a Lincoln home.
The fire was reported around 3:40 a.m. at a home near 17th Street and Nebraska Parkway.
Steve Creps, a State Capitol Security officer with the Nebraska State Patrol, was in the area when he noticed smoke coming from the neighborhood, officials said.
He followed the smoke to the home and reported the fire. State Trooper Ben Nguyen arrived at the scene shortly after, the patrol said.
Both entered the home, which was filled with smoke.
They crawled along the floor, searching for anyone who might be inside.
“We couldn’t breathe,” Nguyen said. “We couldn’t hardly see anything.”
Through the thick smoke, Creps “was able to catch a glimpse” of someone’s head.
They found an unconscious man lying next to the stove, according to the patrol. They also found a dog that was still alive.
The trooper and security officer carried the man out of the house. Then the Capitol Security officer went back inside and carried the dog to safety, the patrol said.
The man is in critical condition.
Two dogs were killed in the fire. The rescued dog has since been placed in the care of Lincoln Animal Control.
Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be unattended cooking. They think it started at the stove, and there were no working smoke alarms in the home, Lierman said.
The fire caused $100,000 in damage to the home and $75,000 in damage to the contents inside.
