Watch: Policeman’s heroic climb up burning building to save baby
Source: Orange County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
A US police officer has been filmed in a heroic climb to save a baby girl from a raging apartment fire.
Astonishing footage released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shows Deputy William Puzynski climbing up the outside of a two-storey building in Orlando, Florida, to rescue the one-year-old girl, whose mother is screaming out for help.
The sheriff’s office said police were helping residents evacuate their apartments after the building caught fire early on Saturday morning (US time) when they saw the mother and baby on the second-floor balcony.
Body camera footage from Deputy Puzynski’s perspective showed the officer taking immediate action – precariously climbing up the balcony railings before standing on one to grab the little girl.
“Amazing #video of OCSO Deputy rescuing [a] baby girl from raging apartment fire!” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office published on Facebook.
“Early this morning, deputies responded to the Isles of East Millenia apartments and found one three-story building partially on fire,” police said.
“As they were getting other residents out of their apartments, they observed a baby and a mother on a third-floor balcony with flames coming from the apartment.”
In the video, Deputy Puzynski appears to remove an item of clothing that has his body camera attached, putting it on the ground, from where it captures his amazing climb.
“Due to the imminent danger, Deputy William Puzynski began to climb the outside balconies in order to get to the baby on the third floor,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Deputy Puzynski reached the second-floor balcony and the mother handed the one-year-old baby girl to the deputy, and he was able to lower the baby to other deputies on the ground.”
Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the little girl’s mother and grandmother were also rescued.
Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze, which caused extensive damage to 24 units. Investigators are probing the cause, while the Red Cross is providing emergency assistance to 20 people left homeless.
