Elderly man pulled from burning house in Temple City

TEMPLE CITY — An elderly Temple City man was hospitalized with burns over 80 percent of his body Friday after a sheriff’s deputy and a group of good Samaritans pulled him from his burning house, authorities said.
The 87-year-old resident, who suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns, was in critical condition, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Fred Stowers said.
The deputy was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and released several hours later, officials said. The three good Samaritans were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Stowers said the actions of the deputy and good Samaritans likely saved the resident’s life, Stowers said.
“I think if it hadn’t have been for them going in we probably would have been dealing with a lot worse.”
The blaze was reported at a single-story about 2:50 p.m. at 10165 Bogue Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Glatt said.
Sheriff’s deputy Reynaldo Lainez was the first official to arrive at the scene and quickly learned there was an elderly man inside the burning home, the lieutenant said.
“After entering once and being forced out by the heat and smoke, Deputy Lainez entered a second time, located an 87-year-old male and sole occupant lying on the floor,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement,
Lainez and a group of three good Samaritans entered the burning house to rescue the man, who was found lying on the floor, he said.
“Apparently, he may have fallen in either an effort to get out of the house, or as he got overcome with smoke,” Stowers said.
Lainez and the good Samaritans pulled the injured man from the house, officials said.
Lainez said he was arriving at the scene of the fire when he was flagged down by a woman who told him there was someone inside the home.
Lainez went to the back of the home and entered through an open sliding glass door, he said, where he found the elderly man lying on the floor, and some good Samaritans already inside trying to get the man out.
“There were flames right next to him,” Lainez said. “The smoke was really black and thick.”
After being forced out of the home briefly by the smoke, the deputy and good Samaritans worked together to pull the 6-foot tall, 200 pound man from the house, Lainez said.
Lainez said he was glad the others were there to assist.
“It would have been very difficult to pull him out (myself),” he said.
Firefighters showed up about a minute after the man was pulled from the home, Lainez added.
The deputy said he was only doing his duty.
The fire appeared to have been contained mainly to the dining room of the home and a patio, Stowers said. The fire appeared to have caused about $75,000 worth of damage.
Stowers said firefighters were unable to find any smoke detectors in the home.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Friday.

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