Fire Honors Police Rescue
Four Los Angeles Police Officers and a civilian photographer were recognized Oct. 1 by the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners for their display of extraordinary bravery during the daring rescue of two individuals from a burning vehicle in Encino.
Just after midnight on Feb. 20, a vehicle crashed head-on into a traffic light pole at the intersection of Ventura and Balboa Boulevards. The impact caused the car to erupt in flames, prompting immediate action from the responding officers.
As fire engulfed the vehicle, four LAPD Officers sprang into action. They tried to extinguish the flames while pulling the driver and front passenger to safety. Despite intense heat billowing from the car, they continued smashing the windows in desperate attempts to reach a rear passenger trapped inside.
Capturing the harrowing scene was Howard Raishbrook, a photographer from RMG News. He was filming the chaotic rescue when he learned that a third person remained trapped in the car. “I can see a big orange bowl of fire, and I can see LAPD rushing toward this, smashing out the windows,” Raishbrook recounted. “I thought, ‘Hopefully, everybody’s out.’ They were pulling two people out, and I heard one of the victims say, ‘There’s someone else in the car.’ So I ran back, grabbed my fire extinguisher, and tried to help. I mean, I put the fire extinguisher through; it didn’t seem to do too much, and luckily, the Fire Station was a block away, so they came and put the fire out. But the heat was intense. I was worried about it exploding. I could hear bangs as I was running up.”
Thanks to the swift, determined and heroic actions of the Officers and Raishbrook, two teenage girls in the car were rescued with minor injuries. Sadly, the female teen in the rear seat was beyond their reach and perished in the accident.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and Board President Genethia Hudley-Hayes both emphasized the specific actions of the LAPD Officers, noting this is only one of many that happened to be captured on video. “With no protective gear, with no real training at putting out fires, they did the best they could and saved lives,” Hudley-Hayes said.
The Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners honored LAPD Officers Yulián Castrillo, Kevin Hernández, Alexander Martinez and Cheyne Underwood and photographer Howard Raishbrook during the ceremony, recognizing their selfless commitment to saving lives under perilous conditions.
Congratulations to Officers Castrillo, Hernandez, Martinez and Underwood, and photographer Raishbrook for their honor.
