CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WAVE) – The chief of the Clarksville, Indiana, Police Department is calling one of his officers a hero. Officer Matt Purlee, a seven-year veteran of the force, helped save people from a burning home earlier this month.
Purlee said he was patrolling the area near Eastern Boulevard, just before 5 a.m. Sunday, December 7, when he spotted heavy smoke and flames coming from a home on Evergreen Drive. Purlee said he hopped out of his vehicle and banged on the front door of the home to wake up the couple living there. He was able to get them outside to safety as flames raced through their unit, and two others nearby.
“I don’t feel like a hero in any way,” Purlee said, “I just saw an emergency and wanted to help out people that were in that emergency. ”
Purlee said soon Clarksville Fire Department crews and his fellow Clarksville officers were on the scene forcing their way into nearby units to make sure they were clear, and no one was trapped inside…