By Police1 Staff
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — A helmet camera captured a police officer rescuing a man from a burning building Sunday.
WLOS reported that firefighter Gabe Burch arrived on scene to a fire at an apartment building around 2:30 a.m. with a personal camera attached to his helmet.
The footage shows firefighter Burch approaching the scene and putting his SCBA mask preparing to battle the fire, when police officer Zack Raymond sprints past him to grab a ladder.
Officials said officer Raymond spotted a man on the second floor screaming and banging at a window, according to the report.
The video is dim, but you can make out two police officers holding the ladder steady while Raymond climbs up to rip the window open with his hands and pull the man to safety. The camera then shows firefighter Burch picking up a fire hose, continuing to battle the fire.
“Makes me very proud of the officers, makes me very proud of the department,” Waynesville Police Captain Brian Beck said. “That’s not [Raymond’s] job. His job is honestly and truthfully to contain the scene and make sure no one gets into the scene in case it’s a crime scene ... that’s something he took upon himself, a selfless act.”
The fire remains under investigation.