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Melbourne officer recovering after being burned in house fire

Officer Anthony Ciraco suffers second-degree burns, saves dog’s life

INDIALANTIC, Fla. – A Melbourne police officer was sent to the burn unit after he escaped with his life from a fire.

Retired Officer Jeff Koeberl said Officer Anthony Ciraco were cooking last week, when the fire started at the townhouse he lives at on Palmetto Avenue in Indialantic.

The Melbourne Police Foundation said Ciraco lost all of his possessions and was injured.

Koeberl said Ciraco’s head and hands were burned. Ciraco saw his primary care doctor on Monday.

“He’s going to get some more treatment, and we’re just trying to keep him from getting infection, and we want to make sure that he heals up,” Koeberl said.

Koeberl said the officer was making breakfast for his dog, Buddy, the morning of the fire.

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”So he went to heat up some oil on the stove, and while he was waiting for it to heat up, he laid down by his dog and just kind of fell asleep and woke up to the crackling of the fire,” Koeberl said.

Ciraco then tried to extinguish the flames before saving the life of his dog, too.

”It was out of his control,” Koeberl said. “It just went up, so then, he decided to leave, but his dog ran back into the bedroom, which is the wrong way, and so he had to go back in and get his dog out.”

Koeberl started a GoFundMe to help Ciraco’s recovery. More than $20,000 has been raised so far.

“That’s really great for him to feel that support and love,” Koeberl said. “He can’t wait to get back to work. He loves his job.”

Koeberl said Ciraco will stay with him for now as he recovers and makes a plan to move forward.


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About the Author
James Sparvero headshot

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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