Boston Police Officer Saves Residents From North End Fire

BOSTON (CBS) – An off-duty Boston Police officer is recovering from smoke inhalation after she ran into a North End building that was on fire Tuesday evening. Officer Shana Cottone ran into the building to get everyone out.

"I ran up the stairs and I started kicking doors in," Cottone said.

She is still trying to process what happened. She was off-duty on her way home when she saw the huge fire consuming a building at Stillman Place. One section was vacant, but there were people inside an adjoining unit.

"I kicked in the second floor door and there was a guy in there with a dog and his apartment was filled with smoke and I said 'Get out of here there's a fire,'" Cottone said.

"Then I went up to the third floor I started to kick that door in. That one was really full of smoke I couldn't even see."

"And then I got on my stomach, that's what they teach you in kindergarten right, so there was like about this much room of air so I crawled under there and I was opening up the door that way screaming 'Fire, get out.'"

She helped get a number of people out of the building safely, escaping a fire that moved quickly, nearly trapping others too.

But the story of this fire and the rescue gets even more incredible. Officer Cottone was also a first responder at the Boston Marathon bombings, helping to rescue wounded victims.

"That's the impact the marathon has had on me," Cottone said. "I know how much devastation and loss can really impact people, it's made me more appreciative but I can't say that's what I was thinking when I ran in, I was just thinking I got to get the people out."

One firefighter suffered minor injuries battling the blaze.