Knoxville, Tenn. Police Officers Recover After Saving Woman

Jan. 31--KNOXVILLE -- Two Knoxville police officers who suffered smoke inhalation while pulling a woman from a burning home have been released from a hospital.

Knoxville Police Department Officers Cynthia DeMarcus and Haley Starr were released from a hospital after being treated and are expected to return to work, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said this morning.

Both officers were scheduled to work tonight, but were told not to report for duty until their next shift begins in five days, DeBusk said.

The officers were injured about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday while helping to get a woman from the garage of her home at 525 Morelia Ave., according to Knoxville Frie Department spokesman Capt. D.J. Corcoran.

The unidentified resident called E-911 from her cellphone to report her garage was on fire and she was unable to get out. Corcoran said the woman has a leg issue that prevented her escape.

"She was going through some clothes that had been packed up and they had an odor to them so she lit a scented candle to get rid of the smell," Corcoran said.

The woman in her early 50s knocked the candle over and onto the clothes, igniting the fabrics. Corcoran said the structure was not burning, only the contents.

Firefighters responding to the call first went in the house because the trapped resident said the garage was accessible only by stairs in the home. When they were unable to locate the stairs, firefighters started searching around the outside of the home.

That's when Fire Department Capt. Steve Kidwell encountered the two police officers. The officers had opened a garage door on the outside of the home and could see the conscious resident inside.

"She was just right inside the back door," Corcoran said.

The two officers and Kidwell carried the woman from the area to safety. Firefighters were able to quickly douse the burning clothing that had produced a lot of smoke in the garage area.

Kidwell was not injured during the rescue, Corcoran said.

The rescued woman's name and condition were not available this morning.

More details as they develop online and in Friday's News Sentinel.