Portsmouth has seen three car fires in the last 10 days, but one heroic action stands out amongst the trio.
On Aug. 14, at 9:45 a.m., Portsmouth Police Officer Maddie Pirri was on a construction detail on West Main Road at Cory's Lane. Not long after, a 1980 Suzuki pickup truck caught fire.
The driver of the vehicle, a 76-year-old New Hampshire man, was able to exit the vehicle, but he couldn't get his dog out from the rear of the vehicle.
"The dog was trapped," Lt. Brian Peters said. "The officer reached inside the truck, while it was on fire."
Officer Pirri was able to pull the golden retriever safely from the vehicle, but sustained a minor burn to her own hand. She was later treated for the injury and has since returned to work.
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