Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009
Schwarzenegger hails Placer deputy who saved woman in wildfire
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closeWhen Placer County Deputy Sheriff Ken Skogen pulled into the residential area north of Auburn during the frantic early moments of Sunday's 49 fire, he noticed two things: fire already consuming dozens of houses, and a man on the street shouting in panic.
"Help, my mom's in there," the man said, pointing to a burning house.
The front door was too hot to open. Skogen turned to the man. "Where is she?" he shouted. The front room, the man said.
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GETTING HELP
Placer County will have local, state, federal and private agencies at the DeWitt Government Center to help victims of the 49 fire, 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. through Thursday, 11517 F Ave., Auburn.
GIVING HELP
Monetary donations are being collected for fire victims.
• Red Cross: 457 Grass Valley Hwy., Suite 8, Auburn, CA 95603.
• The Salvation Army: P.O. Box 4088, Auburn, CA 95604. Food donations are also being accepted 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. weekdays at 286 Sutter St., Auburn.
Skogen, a big man with three years of experience in the department, smashed the front window, then tried to reach in and pull the elderly woman out, but he couldn't.
He raced to a side door, kicked it in, and waded through burning debris and smoke. He found the woman, but had to pry her fingers from their clutch on her walker.
"She was scared to death," he said.
He carried her onto the street. She was whisked away to a local hospital for observation.
Skogen collapsed – for a moment – choking from the smoke he'd inhaled. Then he got up and continued checking houses amid the flying embers. Skogen worked until midnight, helping with evacuations, and then reported back to work at 6 a.m.
Monday afternoon, he was called again to the scene, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was taking a tour of the devastation.
Stopping his tour for a quiet moment, the governor turned to Skogen.
"See, that just shows you pumping up helps," the governor said, smiling. Then he called Skogen a hero.
Skogen, somewhat bashful, isn't so sure. Talking to a Bee reporter moments later, he said he was a bit chagrined he hadn't been able to pull the woman out through the window.
"I didn't pump up enough," he said.
Sheriff's officials said they had not learned the woman's identity Monday. But Skogen said he dropped by an evacuation center later and saw the woman's son, who said his mother was doing well.
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