Glendale House Fire Injures 4, Kills Dog

GLENDALE, CA -- Three police officers used a ladder to rescue a woman from the balcony of a burning home in Glendale before dawn Monday, but a dog was missing and feared dead, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 5:17 a.m. at 205 Dublin Drive, according to Tahnee Lightfoot of the Glendale Fire Department.

"Three Glendale police officers were first on scene as the flames fully involved the two-story house," Lightfoot said.

"The officers witnessed the home's sole occupant on the balcony attempting to escape the blaze. Taking immediate action, the three officers used a ladder to reach the woman just as she was about to be overcome by the fire."

The woman, whose name was not released, and officers Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Mercado and Christopher Clay were taken to Glendale Adventist Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries, she said.

The flames were extinguished within about an hour, but firefighters remained on scene dousing hot spots afterward at the heavily damaged home.

Units from the Pasadena and Los Angeles County fire departments lent assistance to their Glendale counterparts, Lightfoot said.

"What these police officers did is what every firefighter dreams of doing," Glendale Fire Department Chief Greg Fish said. "There is no doubt that they are heroes."

The cause of the fire was under investigation and an estimated monetary loss was being tabulated, Lightfoot said.

-- City News Service, photo courtesy of the Glendale PD