La Porte Police officer rescues woman from fire

A LaPorte Police officer rescued a woman who was trapped in her apartment when the building on Clay Street caught fire early Friday morning.

When LaPorte Police responded to the scene, they could see smoke coming from windows on the second floor of the building.

All of the tenants of the four apartments were accounted for, except for one.

Tenants told La Porte Police Specialist Joshua Sponaugle a woman was trapped in her apartment on the second floor.

Sponaugle could hear the woman yelling for help, but he had difficulty getting breaking through the door of her apartment.

He could hear the woman saying she couldn't get out because she couldn't breathe and couldn't see anything.

Sonaugle finally broke through the door, pulled the woman out of the apartment and led her to safety.

The woman refused medical treatment.

Specialist Sponaugle was taken to Indiana University La Porte Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. He was later released. 

Police say one of the upstairs apartments has been targeted twice in recent weeks with arson damage to an entry door. 

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.