City of Columbia Police Department Deputy Chief Melron Kelly was honored with the 2025 Life Saving Award during Columbia City Council's Oct. 7 meeting for assisting in the rescue of an elderly man trapped inside his burning car following a serious vehicle collision.

According to the City of Columbia Police Department, Deputy Chief Kelly witnessed the collision which occurred at the intersection of Main Street and Sunset Drive around 2 p.m. on Sept. 15. Observing that one of the vehicles had caught fire, Deputy Chief Kelly and an unidentified citizen rushed toward the burning car and were able to pull the man out of the vehicle before the fire intensified.

Commending Deputy Chief Kelly's actions in a post on Facebook, the City of Columbia Police Department stated, “ D.C. Kelly's bravery

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