Caldwell couple saved from Christmas Eve fire as police officer raced into burning home
A Caldwell couple shared their gratitude on Christmas for the quick actions of a city police officer who helped rescue them from their burning home.
Just after 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the Caldwell police officer was out on routine patrol near the intersection of North Ninth Avenue and East Freeport Street when he spotted flames on the backside of a home, the department said in a news release. He radioed into dispatch and raced to clear the home in the 600 block of North Ninth Avenue of any occupants.
The couple, Emillia Moore and Hunter Reay, were just about to go to bed, Moore wrote in a Facebook post. They were suddenly startled by pounding at their door as the officer worked to evacuate them from their engulfed home.
“We were extremely lucky to have such a fast response,” Moore said. “If we didn’t, I don’t know what we would have done.”
At the same time, the fire spread to the neighbor’s home, police said. Five more officers who arrived to help forced their way inside to search for residents and get them out safely. They were turned away at the stairs to the second floor by the heat from the flames after clearing the home’s lower level, police said.
Firefighters with the city’s fire department arrived and were able to get inside the house. They determined nobody was home as they knocked down the fire, which left the neighbor’s home ‘significantly damaged,’” police said.
Some police officers were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but no one was injured in the Christmas Eve conflagration, the department said. Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram tipped his hat to his fast-thinking officers.
“Our men and women working on Christmas Eve risked their lives by running full speed into burning homes,” Ingram said in the news release. “We ask them to wear a lot of hats, but I never expect them to go into a fire.
“Tonight, our cops were selfless and sacrificed themselves for their community. This is the core of our existence and our culture. Thankfully no one was home, and our officers were uninjured” he added.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though it is believed to have started in a chicken coop that sits between the two homes, police said. The coop is owned by the neighbor, and a heat lamp inside may have been the ignition point, Moore told the Idaho Statesman in a Facebook message.
The fire did not displace Moore and Reay from their home, which suffered only limited damage — primarily to their carport. Their roof and the wall that connects to their kitchen also took minor fire damage, as did her company car and other items under the carport, Moore said.
The couple, who are engaged to wed, rode the spirit of the holiday season into Christmas morning as they thanked everyone who prevented the dangerous situation from getting out of control.
“It was as an extremely long and sleepless night and we are very thankful we have people to help us get through tough times like these,” Moore said. “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
