An Oklahoma officer who sustained burns across his body in the process of rescuing his two children from a house fire last week was hospitalized but is recovering.
Corporal Anthony Louie of the Seminole Police Department responded to a house fire on the morning of Friday, Nov. 13, and realized upon arriving that it was his house that was aflame, with his children trapped inside. The 33 year old ran through his burning porch to rescue his sons, ages 14 and 7, from the burning home.
When the boys turned a corner in the home in Seminole, Oklahoma, they were shocked to see their father.
“That’s when they saw Dad,” his wife, Lureena Louie, told the Washington Post. “He was hollering and yelling for them. There was so much smoke they couldn’t see.”
Louie was burned on the right side of his face and body, but his children were not harmed. He’s reportedly breathing independently after being intubated over the weekend.
The family has received tremendous support, according to the Seminole Fraternal Order of Police, which is collecting donations on the family’s behalf.
“The outpouring of support and love for Corporal Louie and his family from the citizens of Seminole and beyond has been amazing,” the group said in a Facebook post. “Above all please keep Corporal Louie and his family in your prayers.”
Lureena Louie also said the landlord would like to rebuild the home, which was destroyed by fire that was triggered by electrical problems.
She said she has been well-supported by other officers in the department, who drove to her job to alert her about the fire.
She’d hoped her husband would be home Tuesday, in time for his 34th birthday on Thursday, Nov. 19, but it’s not clear if he was released from the hospital yet.
“If he had to do it all over again, he would. That’s what he told the kids,” said Lureena Louie. “ ‘I’d do it for my kids. I’d do it for anybody.’ ”
