Body camera video shows a Tennessee trooper rushing into a burning apartment to help rescue a mother and her two children.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A Chattanooga police officer helped rescue a mother and her two children from a burning apartment in Tennessee last week.
chattanooga police department Tell ABC News 9 reports that Officer Eli Rogers responded to a residential fire just before 10 p.m. on May 1. When Rogers arrived, flames could already be seen near the front door.
according to a statement Neighbors told Rogers from the department that people were still inside the apartment. Body camera footage shows the officer rushing into the smoke-filled building as flames spread near the entrance.
Police said Rogers helped rescue Rachel Blaylock and her two children, including 4-year-old Marlowe and 10-year-old Charles.
The video shows Rogers carrying Marlowe out of the apartment, with Blaylock following behind with her eldest child.
“Police officers do not receive firefighting training, but they do take an oath to serve and protect,” the department said in a statement. “That is exactly what Officer Rogers did.”
Blaylock said she had been unsure how to get her two children out safely on her own until Rogers entered the apartment.
“I kept thinking about, how am I going to get two kids down the stairs?” Blaylock told ABC News 9. “He just grabbed her and he was willing to go back.”
Police said no injuries were reported in the fire.
The department praised Rogers’ actions, calling them an example of bravery and dedication to the community.
“CPD is proud to have exemplary officers like you,” Chattanooga police posted on their Facebook account Monday.
