Los Banos officers ran into a burning home. They saved a boy and his grandma

Two Los Banos police officers were honored by city leaders for saving a 5-year-old boy and an elderly woman from a burning house earlier this year.

Officer Eduardo Solis and Sgt. Ivan Mendez were thanked and awarded the department’s Medal of Valor by the Los Banos City Council and Police Chief Gary Brizzee, respectively, on Wednesday.

Flames broke out at a home in the 1200 block of Santa Cruz Way in Los Banos, at the intersection of North Santa Rosa St., at 4:36 p.m. March 30, according to officials.

While on the way, firefighters received word that children were trapped inside the home.

The officers who first arrived on the scene entered the living area amid heavy smoke and found the elderly woman and boy before the fire spread to the back side of the home.

Mendez found the young boy on a mattress on the ground and handed him to Solis, who took the boy through the front door to safety, police said.

Mendez then found the elderly woman and handed her to firefighters, who took her to safety, police said.

The two victims were treated for minor smoke inhalation, a non-life threatening condition.

The Medal of Valor is the department’s highest award and is given when a person “voluntarily overcomes circumstances of imminent peril to their own life while in the performance of their duties,” according to the department.

Mayor Mike Villalta also read a proclamation in honor of the officers, police said.

This story was originally published June 25, 2017 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Los Banos officers ran into a burning home. They saved a boy and his grandma."