Dramatic moment cops rescue baby from second story of burning home as heroic officers insist they were ‘just doing our job’ after saving family of six from inferno
- This is the moment police chiefs save baby Aurora and his five family members from a burning home in the middle of the night in Indiana
- Officers can be seen racing towards the property yelling ‘we’re coming! We’re coming!’ after being told the baby was struggling to breathe
- Family heaps praise on heroic officers who said ‘at the end of the day we were just doing our job’
This is the moment police chiefs save a baby from a burning second-story apartment in the middle of the night along with five of her family members.
Dramatic bodycam footage shows officers racing towards the property in Frankfort, Indiana, as they shout ‘we’re coming! we’re coming!’ before erecting a ladder and rescuing baby Aurora through the window.
The family said they could have died in the blaze as they heaped praise on the heroic crew who insisted they were ‘just doing our job.’
Father Jacob Neal said ‘panic just set in’ after realizing his home was on the downstairs of his property was on fire – making it impossible for the family to vacate the building.
They called the Frankfort Police Department at around 2.10am on Monday and explained Aurora was struggling to breathe.
Police bodycam footage has captured the astonishing moment a baby is saved from the second-story of a burning building
Officers were forced to find a ladder to rescue the family who were unable to vacate the property due to smoke filling the first floor
Within one minute of the call, officers Andrew Snyder, Freddy Martinez and Madison Douglass arrived on the scene.
Bodycam footage shows Snyder quickly finding a ladder and putting it in front of the second-story window.
He speaks to the family and directs them to pass the baby over.
‘Can I have your kid, can I have your baby?’ he asks in the footage.
Afterwards he guides the five others down a ladder to safety.
In the footage he is heard saying ‘Get out! Just get out!’
Mom Elizabeth Crow, 21, was first alerted to the blaze when she started smelling smoke as she was about to fall asleep.
She quickly woke up Neal who went downstairs to investigate.
He told Good Morning America : ‘When I opened the door I just got hit in the face with smoke and I’d seen fire so panic just set in right away.
‘I shut the door, ran upstairs and got my family in the bedroom.
The parents reunited with the officers on GMA.
The family said they were ‘very thankful’ to the officers for saving baby Aurora, pictured. She is being monitored by her parents for symptoms of smoke inhalation
Authorities in Frankfort are now probing how the blaze started
On social media, mom Elizabeth Crow raged: I just don’t understand who would set our home on fire’
The heroic crew reunited with the family on Good Morning America on Friday
Crow added: ‘Our baby was struggling to breathe so I’m very thankful that they got there to help her out of the window and help us too.’
The three officers have been nominated a Medal of Valor – an award handed out to public safety officers who exhibited exceptional courage.
Captain Evan Hall said: ‘They all showed an extraordinary act of bravery by removing a total of six occupants out to safety under extreme stress and life-threatening conditions.’
However they played down their valiant efforts during an interview with GMA.
Officer Martinez said: ‘At the end of the day we were just doing our job.’
The Frankfort Police Department and Fire Department are investigating the cause of the fire.
However on social media Crow speculated that the fire had been started intentionally.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘Our house caught on fire this morning around 2am.
‘The fire investigator said someone purposely set the fire from the outside of our house.’
She was woken up by the smell of smoke, adding ‘I thought it was a bonfire.’
After seeing the smoke, she turned to Neal and the duo got up and called 911.
She added: ‘We ran in our room, shut the door, put a blanket under the crack of our door because it was still pouring in fast.
Officer Madeline Douglass has been nominated for an award alongside her colleagues for her role in the rescue
Officers Freddy Martinez, left, also helped to facilitate the rescue with the help of Andrew Snyder, right. The family said they would have died without their help
ABC News EXCLUSIVE: A family of six is thanking three Indiana officers for saving them from their burning home in an emotional reunion.
‘We couldn’t breathe, my throat hurt so bad. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I was terrified we weren’t going to make it out. Our windows aren’t that big either.
‘Our fire alarms didn’t even go off until our room was heavily filled w smoke so we would’ve probably been dead had I been asleep.’
In another post, she raged: ‘I just don’t understand who would set our home on fire. We have a baby dude.’
Baby Aurora is being monitored by her parents for symptoms of smoke inhalation.
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