By Rebecca Volent
At 10:45am, Saturday, September 6th, Officer Eric Burke responded to a house alarm in Brockton, Massachusetts. But, when he knocked on the door, there was no answer. He could have left, figuring it was just another false alarm, but he decided to check the other doors. As he made his way around the house, through a window he found an alarming scene. A man was at the kitchen sink, his wheelchair in flames.
Officer Burke knocked on the window until he got the man’s attention and was let into the house. The man was a 77-year-old disabled veteran named Armando Torres. It is believed that he was trying to put out a fire in the sink when his electric wheelchair caught fire as well. Luckily, he was able to press the burglar alarm for help.
Officer Burke pulled Torres out of the wheelchair and onto the porch, where he put out the remaining flames on Torres’ pants. He proceeded to call emergency crews and the fire department. Firefighters extinguished the house fire and Torres, who suffered serious burns on the lower part of his body. Torres was taken to the hospital.
Burke is being hailed a hero, but he doesn’t see it that way. “It’s part of the job to make sure people are safe,” he says. “It’s always an interesting job. It keeps you on your toes at all times, that’s for sure.”
“I’m glad he is modest,” said Brockton Police Chief Bob Hayden. “But I want him to know what he did was a big deal. He probably won’t tell his wife. She probably read it in the papers.”
This isn’t the first time Officer Burke saved a person’s life, notes Hayden. Back in 2010, Officer Burke pulled a woman from the porch of a burning home. He then ran into the house to ensure that there was no one else in it.
All officers are expected to go above and beyond the call of duty, and Burke is a prime example of this. He admits that cops are often seen in a bad light, so it’s nice to be recognized for their good work.
