A policeman in Mesa, Arizona, and fellow citizens put themselves in danger to help a 63-year-old man out of an extremely dangerous situation.
Last week, Lt. Bryan Soller was patrolling the area of 64th and Main streets when he spotted a home engulfed in flames and immediately called for backup, 12 News reported Monday.
As Soller began evacuating the burning residence, Lampai Smith told him her husband was still inside, unable to escape because of a medical condition.
Officers were able to get into the house but could not make contact with him.
“I opened the door and I tried to get in, I get about 3, 4 feet and it’s just overwhelming heat,” recalled Soller, adding he was forced to back out again.
It can take under 30 seconds for a small fire to become a major blaze and mere minutes for smoke to fill a home or for it to be engulfed by the fire, according to ready.gov.
Thanks to assistance from a neighbor named Michael Muth, Soller and his fellow officers finally got through a window and brought the man out to safety.
Video footage showed the intense moments the group dragged the man from the home as flames and dark smoke filled the sky.
“It’s heartwrenching when you think there’s a human being in there and you can’t help them. And when I was pulling him and I was trying to get him out, I was thinking, ‘Am I going to watch this guy die?’ I can’t let this guy die, not in front of me,” Soller said.
The man was eventually sent to the hospital. Meanwhile, Soller was overcome by the smoke and carried out of the house by his fellow officers. He and another officer were treated for smoke inhalation but were on the mend.
The main cause of death when it c0mes to a fire is smoke inhalation, according to WebMD.
Soller later described Muth as the real hero, and Smith was thankful for those who helped save her beloved husband.
“A lot of heroes [were there] that day,” Soller explained. “I was not one of them. The civilians that helped were the heroes.”
The fire reportedly began when a cardboard box and leaves caught on fire and the flames spread to the house.
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