CLEVELAND — An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper and two officers from the Cleveland Division of Police are being honored for their heroic actions that saved a couple from a burning home on Jan. 23.
Colonel Richard Fambro of the OSHP gave the awards during a ceremony Tuesday.
Trooper Hiram Morales received one of the patrol's highest honors, the Superintendent's Citation of Merit award.
Officers Molly Madaras and Corey Rose received the Superintendent's Certificate of Recognition.
On a cold January day, Morales was flagged down by a driver who saw a house fire from the highway.
Morales immediately contacted dispatch to alert fire departments. Within minutes, Morales located the fully engulfed home.
Residents in the neighborhood alerted Morales that there was a man in a wheelchair who lived in the house next to the burning home.
Taking matters into his own hands, Morales went inside the home and located an elderly woman trying to help the elderly man whose wheelchair was stuck in the doorway.
Morales calmly gave the couple instructions in Spanish, as they were not proficient in English.
Around the same time, Madaras and Rose arrived on scene and rushed to find where Morales was.
Together, they helped Morales carry the wheelchair-bound man out of the house and get the couple to safety.
"Their quick and selfless actions saved the lives of an elderly couple. Trooper Morales, Officer Madaras and Officer Rose are true assets to their agencies and the communities they serve," the OSHP said in a statement.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
