Frisco police and firefighters are being hailed heroes after last month’s rescue of a 15-year-old boy trapped in the upper story of a burning house in Frisco, Texas.
On Jan. 30, the teenager called 911 when he realized a fire had broken out.
It was just him and the family dog home, but when police arrived on the scene, they couldn’t find either of them, and heavy smoke made it impossible to see into the house.
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After circling the property, police went to the backyard and asked the dispatcher to tell the teen to open a window, so they could see where he was. They spotted him but couldn’t reach him, so they sent for a ladder from the newly arrived firefighters.
As the fireman with the ladder rounded the corner of the house, a window exploded, and the fire really started to take off. They made quick work of getting the teen to ground level, but then their egress was blocked by the fire, as flames were pouring out of the window next to the one gate leading into and out of the backyard.
More windows exploded as the fire raged, but eventually several of the first responders managed to push out a section of privacy fence along the other side of the house and get the teen to safety.
Bodycam footage from one of the responding police officers was released on Feb. 10 by the Frisco Police Department, and many have now watched the heroes at work.
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“This rescue demonstrates the commitment our Firefighters have to save lives under the most dangerous conditions,” Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland said, according to a news release from the Frisco Police Department and the Frisco Fire Department.
“This incident is a great demonstration of the collaboration between our police and fire departments, who train tirelessly in the interest of Frisco’s public safety,” Frisco Police Chief David Shilson added.
The teen was taken to the hospital and was released the same day.
Sadly, the dog does not appear to have made it. In the comments under the police department’s YouTube video, a commenter identifying himself as the rescued teen broke the news.
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“[I] am sorry but the teenager in the video that was saved was me,” he wrote, “and unfortunately the dog did not make it past a few days.”
Still, the teen was rescued, and thankfully, the rest of the family was not home at the time, so they were not in danger.
Authorities determined that the fire started in the kitchen, but the exact cause is not yet known.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.