Clearlake >> Officer Trevor Franklin is being hailed as a hero after risking his life to rescue a family from a burning home. In a bizarre twist, the blaze was allegedly set by a family member.
Troy Burnett, 50, allegedly beat his parents with a shovel while they were asleep in their bed, then set the house on fire with the couple and his sister still inside early Wednesday morning, Sgt. Travis Lenz said.
Franklin was the first emergency responder at the scene on the 15900 block of 39th Avenue after a woman reported at 1:14 a.m. that her brother, Burnett, was acting strangely, though not violently. Minutes later another report came in of a structure fire in the area of 39th Avenue and Phillips Avenue.
By the time Franklin arrived at 1:21 a.m. the home was already fully engulfed in flames, Lenz said. The Clearlake Police Department (CPD) officer saw Burnett on the front porch, which was also ablaze, and managed remove him and escort him to safety to the roadway.
Franklin then found out there were more people still trapped inside the home. While waiting for firefighters to arrive, he looked for another access point and found an open sliding glass door in the back of the residence.
Burnett’s sister was standing in the backyard while his father was struggling to exit from the rear sliding glass door.
Lenz said “[Franklin] put his own safety aside and walked to the sliding glass door,” to help the man, 80, escape.
The victim told the officer that his wife, 77, was still trapped inside the burning building. Franklin found her lying on the floor just inside the sliding glass door. She was unable to stand, so Franklin lifted and carried her to safety.
Based on statements obtained from Burnett and all of the victims on scene, investigators determined prior to the police officer’s arrival, the mother and father were in bed asleep. Burnett entered their bedroom and allegedly began striking his parents in the head and body with a shovel. He reportedly hit his stepmother with such force with the shovel that it knocked her from the bed to the floor.
Burnett’s father was able to take the shovel from Burnett, but not before he sustained moderate injuries to his head and body, Lenz said. According to CPD reports, Burnett left the room and returned moments later with a plastic item on fire. He then threw the item onto his stepmother who was still on the floor. She sustained apparent burns to her hands from extinguishing the burning plastic that was on her body.
Burnett reportedly then left his parent’s bedroom and gathered numerous clothing items and piled them in the hallway, which obstructed his family’s path of travel to the front door of the residence. After covering them with an unknown liquid accelerant, he allegedly lit the clothing items on fire. A short time later is when officers arrived on scene.
Lake County Fire Protection District (LCFPD) Station 70 attended to the burning residence and medically treated Burnett’s father, stepmother and sister. Paramedics transported Burnett’s father and sister to St. Helena Hospital, Clear Lake for medical treatment. Due to the number of fire personnel needed to combat the house fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby residences, CPD officers transported Burnett’s mother to the hospital for medical treatment as well.
Burnett was placed under arrest and faces charges of attempted homicide and arson of an inhabited structure. After medical clearance, Burnett was transported and booked into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Franklin suffered from smoke inhalation while saving the lives of Burnett’s family members. He was treated at St. Helena Hospital, Clear Lake and was later released. LCFPD Chief Willie Sapeta later stated, based on his observations of the scene, if it wasn’t for the valiant efforts by Franklin, he believes Burnett’s stepmother and father would of died in the fire.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is requested to contact CPD Detective Elvis Cook at 707 994-8251 Ext. 315.
