Video captures Milpitas police officers rescuing toddler, dog thrown from burning apartment
By: -----
Milpitas, CA - Authorities in Milpitas posted video of a rescue of a family from a burning apartment building, in which a toddler and a dog were thrown off a balcony to waiting police officers below.
According to the Milpitas Police Department, dispatchers received a call around 3:15 p.m. Saturday from residents who were trapped inside their apartment on South Park Victoria Drive.
Two officers arrived on scene in less than two minutes and found the doors to the apartments were blocked by heavy fire.
"I just looked up the hallway," Officer Trevon Hartley with the Milpitas Police Department said. "There was a small hallway leading up to the 2nd floor. The door was fully engulfed in flames. Just smoke everywhere."
Officer Trevon Hartley was the first on the scene, getting there in just about a minute and a half since the initial call came in. Fellow officer Ricardo Barragan wasn't far behind.
"Getting there, you can feel the heat," Barragan said. "You can see the smoke even more. Just going towards the building, you can see obviously, OK, we need to do something now because if we don't, something bad can happen."
As the fire grew, the officers worked on a plan to rescue the family, who were on the balcony. They were told there were three people trapped in the apartment, including a 3-year-old toddler.
Milpitas police said the officers guided the parents through the rescue, telling them to drop their 3-year-old daughter to officers waiting on the ground.
Firefighters arrived and were able to evacuate the remaining occupants of the apartment, police said. No serious injuries were reported.