Two children were trapped inside a burning building in Arizona. Thanks to a Good Samaritan and police officer, they made it out alive.
A blaze broke out in a Mesa apartment near Gilbert Road and Southern Avenue on Friday, February 18. When firefighters arrived on the scene, two apartments were engulfed in flames. They tried to attack the fire from the roof, with footage showing plumes of smoke billowing out as it moved into the attics.
Before they became unreachable, a nearby man leaped to the rescue of two children trapped in the building.
As reported by CBS7 and Fox News, the man — who hasn't been named per his request — was a car wash close-by when the fire broke out. He abandoned his vehicle and ran over before jumping onto the building and hoisting himself up to the window, bashing it with his hands and rocks to let the smoke out and grab the two-year-old girl in the apartment.
Advert
In bodycam footage shared by Mesa Police Department, the man can be seen handing the girl to an officer, who then took her to paramedics for medical assistance — however, this Samaritan's heroics weren't over just yet.
He yelled out and said to me, ‘Hey, there’s someone else in there.’ And I said, ‘Can you grab that person and bring that little girl out to safety?’ And he did,' Officer Jon Forrest said.
Without pause, the man ran through the fire and flames to rescue the six-year-old child and get them to safety. Both children were taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation and some injuries from the broken glass. No firefighters were hurt, and the officers involved in the rescue were also treated and released.
'There’s so much smoke in there that if you pass out, it could be deadly, obviously. For that civilian to be so courageous, jump up there, he saved two kids’ lives today,' Forrest added.
Advert
'Hats off to the citizen who was back there. He was at the car wash minding his own business, recognised there was a fire back there, jumped the wall, left the car at the car wash and really did an outstanding job today and really saved two kids’ lives,' officer Chad Serchen also said.
'Obviously, it’s always emotional when you hear victims, patients being trapped. It kind of increases the stress of the call but we know what we have to work towards, life, safety,' Capt. Chris Yaukus of Mesa Fire and Medical said.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: US News