Four Culpeper, Virginia, police officers helped rescue an unconscious resident from a burning home on the evening of Oct. 3, according to an account by Fox News citing the Culpeper Police Department.
Officers arrived at the wooden house as smoke poured from its windows. Residents living in separate apartments had made it outside, but told police they were concerned one man might still be inside.
Officer Ashley Sain entered the building without protective gear and began checking for anyone who remained inside. Officer Neal Coffey joined her shortly afterward. Body-camera footage described in the report shows an officer climbing stairs past posted “No Smoking” signs.
On the second floor, Sain and Coffey found a locked door with smoke escaping around it. Sain called out to identify the police and ask whether anyone was inside. Coffey used a small tool to open the lock, then called into the room. The officers received no response. They could see flames through the thick smoke.
Sgt. David Cole and Officer Michael Beel also reached the second floor. As the smoke worsened, Coffey crawled into the room, first on his hands and knees and then along the floor, using a flashlight to search. He located a man lying unresponsive on a bed and called for help, saying the man was breathing.
Coffey pulled the man onto the floor. Beel crawled in to assist, and the four officers dragged the resident into the hallway. A firefighter wearing protective equipment then came through the smoke. Firefighters carried the man out of the building and extinguished the fire.
The rescued resident was taken to a hospital and later transferred to a regional burn center. Police had not released his name or the cause of the fire, saying those details were part of an active investigation, according to the report.
Three of the officers were also treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and other injuries. They were released that evening. The four officers who entered the smoke and flames received valor awards on Oct. 14, Capt. Kevin Tooley of the Culpeper Police Department told Fox News Digital. Tooley, who supervised at the scene, said the officers had gone beyond the usual role of police, noting that entering burning buildings is generally the fire department’s responsibility.
