Marlborough Man Honored For Saving Man On Fire

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A Marlborough resident was honored by the police department for his heroic efforts this year in saving a man who was on fire. The department honored Fernando Theodoro on Monday during the city's Labor Day award ceremony.

Back in April, Theodoro witnessed his neighbor, 68-year-old Gene Rano, accidentally fall into a fire while burning several items. Rano uses a wheelchair and couldn't get out of the fire alone, so Theodoro jumped in to his aid.

Theodoro pulled Rano from the fire and tried to extinguish the fire. "The victim suffered extensive burns but survived, due to the heroic efforts of Mr. Theodoro," said the department. Rano suffered burns on 40 percent of his body, most on the lower half of his body.

He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital via helicopter for treatment.

The awards on Labor Day are usually given to police officers, but this year the department decided to also acknowledge a citizen who made a difference. "This year we felt it was time to recognize a Marlborough citizen for going above and beyond," the department said.