Officer saves man from burning house
A 16-year veteran of the Burbank Police Department on assignment in Pasadena on Sunday forced his way into a burning home and rescued a 66-year-old man by escorting him to the sidewalk.
Burbank Police Officer Kerry Schilf was assisting the Pasadena Police Department with the Pasadena Marathon at 7 a.m. when a pedestrian ushered him two blocks to the burning home at 220 S. Meridith Ave., police said.
At 7:05 a.m., Schilf kicked open the front door and found tenant Robert Hougland struggling to move furniture out of the entryway, Schilf said.
Schilf then assisted Hougland out of the home and onto the sidewalk, where paramedics treated him for minor burns and smoke inhalation, police said.
Reached at his home Monday, Hougland would not say how the fire began.
The home was badly damaged and three cats were lost in the flames, according to several news reports. Schilf returned to his post near Pasadena City College on Sunday and completed his assignment.
