Heroic Pittsburg Police Officer Undergoes Surgery After Rescuing Man From Fire

PITTSBURG (CBS SF) -- A police officer required surgery to his arm after he was injured while rescuing an unconscious man from a fire in Pittsburg, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District fire marshal said Thursday.

Firefighters responded at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to the first block of West 11th Street where a two-alarm fire was burning the rear and roof of a small single-story home, Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said.

When police arrived, they forced the front door open and called to a man on the floor. The officers determined he was unconscious and took him outside where police performed CPR until firefighters arrived to give him oxygen.

During the rescue, a Pittsburg police officer was cut by falling glass. Paramedics were able to revive the unconscious man and both he and the officer were taken to a hospital.

The unconscious man, who is blind, suffered pretty severe smoke inhalation and doctors were going to give him a breathing tube to help him breathe.

Firefighters kept the flames to the rear and roof of the home, but smoke caused damage throughout the home.

Fire investigators are not sure of the cause of the fire but they think it was accidental. The damage is estimated to be $202,000.

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