(KNSI) – A police officer is being credited with saving an Avon man and his property from a grass fire.
The Stearns County Sheriffs Office says Avon Police Chief Corey Nellis was on patrol around 1:30 on Thursday afternoon when he saw black smoke coming from an area south of town.
Avon Police Department/Facebook
Nellis is also a volunteer firefighter and decided to investigate the source.
The sheriff’s office says black smoke typically means something is burning that probably shouldn’t be.
Nellis went to 17010 Norman Road in Avon Township and found a fire in a wooded area.
When he got out of his squad car, he could hear someone yelling for help.
Landowner 73-year-old James Dean was lying on the ground. The ground around him was on fire, and Nellis called county dispatch for help.
Nellis wasn’t able to get to Dean on his own.
The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Avon Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Avon Fire, and Albany Fire Departments arrived.
Once help arrived, Dean was rescued from the fire.
He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital with burns to his legs and arms.
Dean told deputies the fire started when he was burning a small pile of sticks, and he lost control of it.
Stearns County Sheriff’s Office
A trailer used for storage was extensively damaged, along with minor damage to the home, and several acres of groundcover also burned.
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