Four Virginia officers received valor awards for rescuing an unconscious man from a burning house despite dangerous conditions.
In Culpeper, Virginia, four police officers faced that reality on October 3, crawling through a smoke-choked house to find a resident who had failed to escape the fire. Three of the four officers received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation and other injuries before being released later that evening.
The emergency unfolded that evening when officers arrived at a wooden house in Culpeper to find thick smoke pouring from its windows, according to Fox News. When smoke fills a room and flames begin to spread, every second can mean the difference between life and death. Their search led them into a burning bedroom, where an unconscious man lay waiting to be rescued, states an online report by Fox News. The officers brought him out alive, but the rescue came at a cost, with three of them requiring hospital treatment. Scroll down to read the details of the accident. Residents living in separate apartments had already made it outside, but they feared one man might still be trapped inside. Coffey used a small tool to open the lock. As the officers called out to check whether anyone was inside, they received no response. Working together, the four officers pulled the unconscious man onto the floor and dragged him into the hallway. Firefighters soon reached them, and a team carried the resident out of the burning building before extinguishing the fire, explains Fox News report. The incident left its mark on the rescuers, too. The rescue highlighted the risks officers can face when responding to emergencies that fall outside their usual duties. With a resident believed to be trapped inside and little time to spare, the four continued searching despite the dangerous conditions.
Authorities have not released his identity or the cause of the fire, citing an active investigation, adds the report. The man was taken to a hospital and subsequently transferred to a regional burn centre.