CdA honors man who saved driver from burning car

A Post Falls man who saved another man from a car fire in Coeur d’Alene last month was honored as a hero Tuesday. Jody Burns pulled Michael R. Brandt, 41, from Brandt’s burning Chevy Lumina July 24 after smashing the car’s window with a brick in the parking lot of the Cedar Motel, 316 Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. Brandt had lit a cigarette near a filled propane tank in the car, Coeur d’Alene police said, and Burns heard the explosion from his hotel room. Brandt was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with serious burns but is expected to survive, police said. Police Chief Wayne Longo and Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Kenny Gabriel honored Burns for his heroism and bravery at the Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting Tuesday. Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Don Craft, who responded to the fire, called Burns “a hero who should be recognized,” according to a news release.