A Mahoning Township police officer ran into a burning building twice to save the life of an elderly woman.

Veteran Patrolman Jeffrey Frace responded to the fire on Oak Grove Drive, off Route 443, within three minutes of the alarm.The incident happened at 11:31 p.m. Feb. 11.Mahoning Township Police Officer In Charge Audie Mertz released details of the incident Monday.Mertz said Frace ran inside the building, which was filled with smoke, and convinced the 81-year-old woman to leave.The resident however ran back into the house to try and save some of her belongings. The officer was forced to go back inside and rescue her from the house.Mertz said the house sustained heavy damage, and the resident was able to relocate with relatives.Four fire departments responded and the fire was placed under control at 12:49 a.m.The Red Cross also responded to assist the resident. The fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal.Frace was also one of the first responders to arrive when a propane tank exploded in Franklin Township at the Pazzazz Boarding Kennel. He, along with another Mahoning Township Police Officer Rob Hontz, began rescuing the dogs from the kennel. Frace was among 37 emergency responders, police officers and animal rescue organizations and veterinarians who were recognized by state Rep. Keith McCall for helping at the horrific fire that ravaged the kennels on March 6, 2009.The fire claimed the lives of 18 dogs and critically injured propane tank driver Tim Kleinhagen.The fire occurred while Kleinhagen was filling a tank outside the facility. During that time, propane gas was released and an explosion occurred, causing a roaring fire to engulf the kennels.In 2009, Frace was also recognized by Mahoning Township Police Chief Kenneth Barnes and Mahoning Township Supervisors, along with two other officers, Audie Mertz and Hontz, for their handling of an incident on Country Club Road in which a subject armed with an assault rifle and several other weapons was barricaded in his home with other weapons for several hours from Nov. 5 through Nov. 6 in 2008.They worked with state police and other departments to bring the incident to a peaceful end.Barnes commended them for their professional handling of the situation and a "job well done."