Firefighters Rush Into Building Engulfed In Flames And Rescue Trapped Girl
This is the moment a firefighter’s bodycam captures the dramatic rescue of a young girl who was trapped in her home by a fire that had ripped through the building and engulfed every room.
The Wichita Fire Department (WFD) shared the footage of the dramatic rescue which took place in the 2800 block of South Emporia in Wichita, Kansas, at 7.50 pm on Monday (6th September).
The footage shows the moment the firefighters arrive at the scene and start to jog towards the burning building carrying their heavy oxygen tanks and water hoses.
One of the firefighters then battled his way through the flames and saved a young girl who he carries out of the burning building with her on his shoulder.
The bodycam captures the moment the firefighters also work their way through the building, at times seemingly walking directly through the flames as they try to bring the fire under control.
By the time the rescue effort had been completed four people had been injured and two firefighters, all of whom survived but required treatment.
WFD told local news site KWCH: “Numerous people were actively evacuating the structure, multiple persons were reported trapped,”
They added: “Heavy fire was extending to the attic and roof. The alarm was upgraded to a person trapped and additional second-alarm responses were requested.”
According to the WFD, the cause of the fire remains unknown and an investigation is being carried out to determine what sparked the flames.
The fire did an estimated USD 200,000 ( GBP 144,475) damage to six apartments in the building and destroyed USD 50,000 (GBP 36,118) in personal possession.
Ten of the apartments are currently unlivable and the American Red Cross has been working to provide temporary accommodation to the residents.
Despite the material damage, the WFD statement looked on the bright side saying: “No lives were lost and those families have a lot to rebuild, but they still have each other.”