A police officer who helped save a woman and her dog from a house fire in Huntley in October received a life-saving award from the village board.
Huntley Police Officer Brock Larkin responded with firefighters around 8:54 a.m. on October 9 to the 11500 block of Douglas Avenue in Huntley for a call of a structure fire with people trapped.
Officer Larkin arrived on the scene to find several people outside the residence, which had thick black smoke coming from the roof.
Larkin determined that a female resident and a family dog were trapped inside the home, police officials said.
Larkin made his way to the back of the residence to find the woman trapped by fire in the basement of the residence.
“At this time the siding on the back of the home was engulfed in flames and the sliding glass door had just shattered and flames were coming out of the back of the residence,” the Huntley Police Department said in a statement.
Larkin was able to make contact with a woman through a small basement window. She was attempting to control her dog who was trying to go up the stairs, which were on fire and filled with smoke.
“Officer Larkin instructed the woman to lift the dog up to him. Officer Larkin pulled the dog out of the burning building and handed the dog to a neighbor,” officials said.
The woman was instructed to stand on a table and was pulled out through the window to safety by Larkin. The woman and the dog were treated by paramedics at the scene.
A neighbor, who was not publicly identified, also reportedly helped the officer rescue the two.
Huntley Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Mike Pierce said at the time that 34 firefighters responded to the fire, which was brought under control within 20 minutes.
The damage was estimated to be $150,000 and the home was left uninhabitable.
Larkin was recently presented the Department Life Saving Award at the Village of Huntley Board of Trustees meeting.
“Officer Larkinโs judgment, bravery, training and quick actions were exemplary and were directly responsible for saving a human life with great risk to himself,” police officials said, adding “Officer Larkin relied on his training and professional approach to his duties to save a life.”