Two police officers are being praised for their “bravery in the face of danger” after rescuing two juveniles from the backyard of a burning home in Centennial, Colorado.
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Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Ryan McConnell and Chris Calderon can be seen rescuing the kids in bodycam footage released by the police department.
“The fire happened on Dec. 1,” a description reads. “The cause of the fire is under investigation by South Metro Fire Rescue.”
“Sherrif’s office!” one officer can be heard shouting upon arrival, before explaining what he was witnessing on the ground. “Thick, black smoke coming from the front door.”
The officers then went to the backyard and began to break the fencing to reach the children, ages 14 and 8, who could be heard crying in the background.
“Hold on, sweetie,” one of the officers said as they feverishly worked to successfully get the trapped kids out of the backyard.
One of the children can be heard saying, “Thank you,” to the officers through tears.
Watch footage of the rescue:
In a separate Facebook post, South Metro Fire Rescue gave more information on the fire and the family impacted by the tragedy.
“Initial reports indicated that two adults and two juveniles were inside the home,” the statement read. “The juveniles successfully evacuated to the backyard, where one called 911 and reported to South Metro Emergency Communication Dispatchers that they were trapped and unable to exit the backyard.”
According to authorities, the adults were later determined to have not been present in the home at the time of the incident. Thankfully, the young residents were treated by fire medics and “released with no further medical needs,” though one dog and one cat died in the fire.
The officers have since spoken out about what unfolded, with Calderon sharing his surprise anyone was able to survive the scenario.
“There was tons of black smoke coming from inside the house,” he told KMGH-TV. “So, initially, I mean, when you see it, it’s hard to believe anyone could survive that. And fortunately, we were able to hear the kids in the backyard.”
And while the bodycam footage doesn’t show the full scope of what was happening, it turns out the situation was potentially dangerous for the cops as well.
“It was very hard to breathe, and we were so close to the house, and the flames were getting increasingly bigger,” he added. “So, that was the main priority — getting the kids out of there so they didn’t suffer any smoke inhalation or get pretty sick.”
For his part, McConnell said the kids were obviously “terrified” and had “no idea what was going on.”
“It was a good feeling to get them out of there,” the officer said.
The family is displaced, and the American Red Cross of Colorado is reportedly helping meet their needs. Continue to pray for them as they deal with this tragedy.
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