Posts Tagged off-duty Hoffman Estates firefighter saves fire victim

Hoffman Estates Fire Department news

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Hoffman Estates Firefighter Evan VonQualen was commended by Fire Chief Jeff Jorian and the village board this week for helping save the life of an Elgin resident while driving to work in Hoffman Estates.

VonQualen recounted that he just happened to look to his left during his morning commute Dec. 11 to see a house that was clearly in the early stages of a fire.

He pulled over and contacted the homeowner to get him out of the house. The man was concerned for the lives of his cats and attempted to re-enter the home to search for them. VonQualen persuaded the man that the cats would be all right and got him safely away from the burning structure.

Though human life was the immediate concern, the firefighters rescued the cats as well.

VonQualen will be honored again, in Elgin, at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way.

thanks Dan

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Elgin Fire Department news

Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

Elgin Fire Department officials are crediting an off-duty Hoffman Estates firefighter for getting the occupant of a burning home to safety Sunday morning and alerting firefighters to the blaze in time to get it quickly under control.

A fire in the 100 block of Longford Drive had gone unnoticed until the off-duty firefighter spotted it while driving to work at about 7:18 a.m. He called Elgin Fire Department communications, then alerted the home’s occupant and got him out of the residence.

Elgin firefighters arrived about five minutes later and brought the fire under control within 11 minutes. No firefighters or civilians were injured, and firefighters rescued a cat from the home.

thanks Dan

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