An Indiana police officer received the Medal of Honor for helping to save a child and a woman from a collapsed home that exploded.
Lt. Kevin Van Kley, who works with the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, received the department’s Medal of Honor on Monday, becoming only the third officer in the history of the sheriff’s office to be bestowed with the award, WTHR reported.
The Northwest Indiana Times reported that Van Kley made the rescue on September 10 after he heard a call on his police scanner about an active fire with a family reportedly stuck inside their home.
Officials said Van Kley heard screams coming from the house when he reported to the scene. He quickly entered the burning, collapsing home and removed debris to save a child trapped inside.
After he saved the child, Van Kley went to another area of the house where others could be heard shouting, “All hands on deck!” Fire and police responders were working together to lift the roof, which had collapsed to the ground.
Van Kley then assisted others in rescuing a woman from the debris.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that we were close by,” Van Kley said in the news release posted to Facebook.
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