MIDDLETOWN – Life-saving awards have been presented to a security guard and a Middletown police officer after they helped to rescue an 87-year-old woman from her burning home in Shadow Lake Village.
Shadow Lake Village security officer Keith Thornton and Middletown Patrolman Nicholas Monochio are credited with acting heroically to save a life in the adult community on Loch Arbor Way. The incident occurred on Dec. 15.
“The security officer, he’s just there expecting a nice quiet night. It’s Shadow Lake Village, what could go wrong? Everyone had dinner at 5 p.m. and went home,” Middletown Fire Chief Ryan M. Clarke joked as he praised Thornton for his actions during the Dec. 17 meeting of the Township Committee.
Thornton provided emergency responders with direction and guidance once they arrived at the scene of the house fire. Mayor Kevin Settembrino said two residents, ages 87 and 91, were inside the building when the fire broke out.
It was reported that the 91-year-old had escaped the burning building.
“Officer Monochio and Officer Thornton had gone into the building when the building was on fire to get them out,” Settembrino said. “Usually people are running away from the fire. These guys are running into it.
Officials said this is Thornton’s first life-saving award and Monochio’s fourth life-saving award. Previously, Monochio was issued life-saving awards for rescuing a drowning dog, delivering a child and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an individual who suffered a heart attack.
Officials did not disclose how the fire began inside the residence.
Settembrino said the rescue effort and the work to extinguish the fire was a joint effort among the Middletown Township Fire Department, the Middletown Township Police Department and security officers.
Clarke said emergency responders were dispatched to a structure fire at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15. He said volunteer firefighters rushed to Shadow Lake Village.
“We got a second call saying there was smoke coming from the building,” he said. “We asked for extra companies to be dispatched so we had (more) manpower and the proper equipment coming to the scene.”
Clarke said he pulled into Shadow Lake Village behind Monochio. After exiting their vehicles, Clarke said, they noticed “a lot of orange in one corner of the building,” noting that flames were present inside the structure.
“The police officers went to the front door. They did exactly what they were trained to do,” he said. “I started evaluating the building. We determined (the fire) had not extended into the other units. The police officers had moved the residents away from the (burning) building.”
Clarke said that within seconds of arriving at the scene, first responders “made sure all life was protected.” He said the first responders made sure the residents of neighboring units were evacuated from their residences.
He said after the fire units arrived at the scene, emergency responders “wanted to keep the building as tight as possible” until a fire hose was introduced to help extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Clarke said the fire was contained and extinguished within 90 minutes.