A Hobart Police officer rescued a family of five from a burning home Sunday while on patrol.
Patrolman Adam Zormier said he saw smoke coming from a house in the 8000 block of Randolph Street, just north of U.S. 30, in Merrillville. When he arrived at the residence, he saw heavy black smoke coming from the windows and roof of the home.
“I was on the way to cover South District 3 and turned south on Randolph and saw smoke coming from the house,” Zormier said Monday.
He said he tried to pound on the door but got no response. He noted several cars in the driveway, though.
“Based on the amount of smoke coming out, I feared for the worst. I kicked the front door open and smoke bellowed out,” he said.
“I called for people and I crawled inside through the front door; it was hard to see and very dark. It sounded like people were yelling, but I knew I couldn’t access them.”
Zormier raced around the house and saw the family in the basement frantically trying to get out. He broke a window and, along with a neighbor, was able to get the family out of the house.
He said Merrillville firefighters arrived and a crew from Superior Ambulance checked the family out at the scene. He said the family included a 26-year-old woman and her three children and the woman’s 12-year-old sister. The family rented the home.
Zormier was treated for smoke inhalation at the St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart.
“The quick actions of Officer Zormier and the Good Samaritan helped ensure that everyone inside the home was safely evacuated before conditions worsened,” Hobart Police said in a social media post.
Merrillville Fire Department officials couldn’t be reached for comment.
Zormier is a 2007 Hobart High graduate and his father’s cousin is former Hobart Police Chief Richard Zormier, who retired in 2021.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
