Blue Mound officers pull a driver from a burning car before fire engulfs vehicle
By: -----
Blue Mound, TX - Two Blue Mound police officers are being credited with saving a man’s life after pulling him from a burning car just minutes before it was fully engulfed in flames.
The rescue happened on October 29 near Glenn Drive and Waggoman Road. Officers Luis Aguilar and Bryant Ochoa responded to reports of a vehicle fire with someone trapped inside.
Body camera footage shows Aguilar breaking the rear passenger window and pulling the driver to safety. The man walked away with only minor scratches.
"…minutes away from being engulfed"
"When we arrived, we saw the vehicle in flames," Aguilar said. "We needed to get there as soon as we could and as fast as we could."
"He literally was minutes away from being engulfed in that car completely," said Blue Mound Fire Chief Jason Wood. "Took very, very decisive action, got him out very quickly, and saved his life."
Wood said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction, which may have also kept the man from escaping on his own. He noted that breaking a car window is more difficult than most people think, and credited Aguilar for using a window punch, a small, inexpensive tool designed to shatter glass.
The Blue Mound City Council later honored both officers with Life-Saving Awards for their quick actions.
"You can call us heroes, but we’re just doing our jobs," Ochoa said.
"Their response was decisive, fast, and courageous," said Tyler Downes, public information officer for the department. "Because of that, a man who would not have survived that fire is alive today."
Neither officer was hurt during the rescue. After hearing about the incident, local residents purchased window punches for every officer in the department.
Ochoa has been with the department for only a few months and is still in training. Aguilar joined the Blue Mound Police Department nine months ago and has two years of law enforcement experience.