80-year-old woman rescued from burning home in Iowa

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) - Authorities say two police officers have rescued a woman from a burning Iowa home.

The Muscatine Fire Department said in a news release that Police Cpl. Matt Fowler and Officer Mark Schollmeyer were on patrol Tuesday morning when they noticed heavy smoke and found a home engulfed in flames.

The two officers tried to enter the home through the front door but were turned back by the heat and flames. They then went to the back of the home and saw an 80-year-old woman lying on the floor.

The release said they then broke open the back door, pulled the woman to safety and administered aid until fire crews and paramedics arrived. She then was taken to a hospital.

“If not for the quick action of these two officers the result could have been entirely different,” Muscatine Police Chief Brett Talkington said in the news release.

One of the two officers also was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation. And a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. Damage to the building was estimated at $39,000.