Girl, 13, Receives Public Safety Award For Alerting 911 About Officer's House Fire
GERMANTOWN, Md. (WJZ)—A fire that claimed the life of an off-duty officer's dog could have been worse if not for the alertness of a 13-year-old girl.
Eva Soderstrom was presented with a Citizen's Public Safety Award on Wednesday morning for quickly alerting her mom to call 911 when she noticed smoke coming from a home across the street.
That home was that of on-duty officer Nicole Gamard.
"A lot of people worked really hard to get Quest back to me, and I am thankful to all of them. But, it all started with a 13-year-old named Eva. Other people in the neighborhood saw smoke coming from the house but did not call 911. The fact that a 13-year-old stepped up and knew to call 911 is tremendous to me," Officer Gamard said.
The fire broke out on the afternoon of May 14 in Montgomery County.
Gamard was on duty and in her police cruiser when she heard the dispatcher ask officers to assist with a house fire.
Garnard quickly recognized the address as her home. Her two dogs, Quest and Frenzy, were in the house.
Although both dogs were rescued, Frenzy died from smoke inhalation.
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