Florida police officers on Saturday rescued a man from a burning home before firefighters arrived on scene to extinguish the blaze.
The Tampa Police Department on Tuesday released body-worn camera video from officers who responded to a residential fire on the 8400 block of N. Highlands Avenue on Aug. 9. Officers arrived to find smoke rising from the home and a “large portion engulfed in flames.”
The video shows thick, black smoke rolling out of the windows and doors of the house as officers approach.
“Is anyone inside?” an officer asks as he runs from his car to the front of the house.
“My brother is in there,” an anguished woman says.
Officers can be seen standing just outside the front door, and the inside of the home appears filled with smoke.
“Can you come to me?” an officer shouts into the home.
“Go low. Crawl! Crawl!” an officer shouts. One officer can be seen belly-crawling into the house to reach the man, who is just a few feet away. After clearing a bike out of the path, the officer quickly retreats to “get some air” before returning inside.
An officer manages to grab the man’s leg, and drags him out of the house by his ankle. Just as they exit the house, Tampa Fire Rescue firefighters arrive on the scene.
According to police, “everyone” was treated for smoke inhalation. Tampa Fire Rescue extinguished the fire, which they determined to be accidental.
