The life of an elderly woman has been saved tonight by a police officer who crawled through a smoke-filled Tauranga house, feeling his way to her before dragging her to safety.
The officer was patrolling Mount Maunganui just before 7pm when he came across a burning single-storey house in MaranuiStreet. He ran to a ranch slider and began banging on the door, a statement from police said.
"At this point he noticed an elderly female inside the address coming towards the door.
As she tried to unlock the door she collapsed and fell backwards disappearing into the black smoke that now filled the room."
The police officer attempted to break the door but was unable to, and instead smashed a side window and frame to gain access to the house.
"Once inside the house the police officer searched through the black smoke but was unable to locate the occupant due to how dark and thick the smoke had become.
"The police officer was struggling to breathe and was forced to go back to the window to get air. He then made a second attempt crawling through the house feeling his way along the floor trying to find the occupant.
"He ran his hand across the floor and located the female occupant and pulled her to the window."
The officer was unable to lift the woman out of the window, but was able to get the woman out of the house when a second officer arrived.
Fire and ambulance staff arrived on scene a short time later and ambulance took the 77-year-old woman to Tauranga hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
A 54-year-old man at the scene has also been taken to hospital.
The police officer was also taken to hospital due to cuts on his hands and for observation due to inhaling smoke.
