On 21 November 1976 Cst. Richard Burns rescued a Yarmouth man who had intentionally set fire to his flat and locked himself inside. Having been called to the scene, Cst. Burns and a fellow policeman found the man sitting in the living room with a container of inflammable liquid by his side. As the constables approached the house, he spread the liquid throughout the rooms and set it on fire. Summoning firemen to the scene, Cst. Burns ran to the back of the building where he was forced to break down doors. At great risk he pursued the man through the fire and caught him after breaking through a bathroom door. He then led the man to the back door where others helped them out of the building.