PHOENIX — Dramatic video shows a Phoenix Police officer jumping into action to save people from an apartment fire.
Officer Trevin Janser was working on another incident with his partner near 40th St. and McDowell on Oct. 5 when they spotted smoke nearby.
“It was a dark, black, billowing smoke,” Janser said.
Janser, a 13 year veteran with the department, said he drove the patrol car towards the smoke to find single story apartments on fire.
His body-worn camera captured the plumes pouring out of the row of buildings.
The footage shows Janser leaving his patrol car, and running towards one of the windows of an apartment.
“Saw the panicked faces and them saying, ‘We can’t get out’,” Janser said. “Knowing that they needed help I just jumped in the window and started helping them.”
Janser helped three people out of that unit, giving them a boost out of a window.
Other officers arrived on the scene and they started to clear neighboring units.
“We were able to work as a team,” Janser said.
The body-worn camera shows flames still coming out of one of the buildings after Janser clears another unit.
“Wasn’t a second thought to go towards it and see what needed to be done,” Janser said.
At least two units are still being repaired at the site of the fire, while pieces of burnt wood still litter the ground.
“Just shows how bad it was,” Janser said. “(To) know that we were able to help people out that day and save them meant a lot.”
Janser said he loves working as a police officer because of how different the day-to-day work environment is, but didn’t necessarily expect to be doing what he did in October.
“Jumping into fire: Not exactly on the list of police duties,” Janser said.
But said the incident will stick with him for years to come.
“I was proud of what we did that day,” Janser said.