Two quick-thinking police officers smashed their way into a burning house to save a sleeping woman after spotting smoke while on a routine patrol.
Police Constables Gregg Cartwright and Jamie Walker were driving through Sutton-in-Ashfield on August 13 when they noticed thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Realising the potential danger to life and property, the pair raced to investigate and discovered a fire raging in a rear garden, clearly visible through a house’s conservatory.
In the bodycam footage the two officers can be heard coughing from the smoke while shouting ‘get out’ just moments before they smash through the glass.
PC Walker then sprinted into the property to get the woman to safety, while PC Cartwright grabbed a fire extinguisher and tackled the flames before they could spread further.
Thanks to the officers’ brave actions, no one was injured.
Two quick-thinking police officers smashed their way into a burning house to save a sleeping woman after spotting smoke while on a routine patrol
Realising the potential danger to life and property, the pair raced to investigate and discovered a fire raging in a rear garden
Police Constables Gregg Cartwright and Jamie Walker were driving through Sutton-in-Ashfield on August 13 when they noticed thick black smoke billowing into the sky
PC Cartwright, of Mansfield Rota 3 response team, said: ‘We knew there was somebody inside the building who needed to be saved, so we did what any other police officer would do.’
‘There wasn’t really a lot to think about. We just forced entry, got the woman inside out, and then tried to handle the fire as best as we could.’
His colleague, PC Walker, added: ‘When it comes to response policing, you can come across anything, as we did with this incident. We were just driving past when we saw some smoke, so thought we better check it out.’
‘That’s response policing, really. One minute you can be sent to a job and the next you can come across something like this.’
The homeowner had been asleep just feet from the flames when the officers arrived – and their split-second decision may have saved her life.
PC Cartwright, of Mansfield Rota 3 response team, said: ‘We knew there was somebody inside the building who needed to be saved, so we did what any other police officer would do’
Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy praised the officers for their swift and selfless actions
Chief Inspector Paul Hennessy praised the officers for their swift and selfless actions.
He said: ‘While I’ve no doubt both officers will consider what they did to be ordinary police work, that understates how much of an extraordinary contribution they made.’
‘When you consider the fire was burning so close to the property and the homeowner was sleeping just yards away, their intervention might well have saved her life and the lives of others too.’
‘PC Cartwright and PC Walker were out on patrol when they spotted the smoke and didn’t hesitate to act when they recognised the dangerous situation that was developing.’
‘That rapid response and the calmness they showed to gain access to the address and – between them – get the woman inside out safely and extinguish the fire, deserves immense credit.’
