Incredible body camera footage shows hero cop catch people jumping from building engulfed in flames
A police officer is being hailed as a hero after incredible footage from his body camera showed him responding to a building engulfed in flames before saving the occupants’ lives by catching them when they jumped out of a window.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. on Monday, July 19, in Jamestown, New York -- about 70 miles southwest of Buffalo -- when Officer Mark Conklin was handling a service call on Baker Street and he was alerted to a possible house fire about a block away on William Street, according to a statement from the Jamestown Police Department.
Officer Conklin can then be seen running to the burning home where he found “children and an adult trapped in the upstairs of the residence,” according to the Jamestown Police Department.
“I believe there is entrapment,” he can be heard saying as he approaches the home. “I’m getting people out right now.”
He then calls over to a witness asking for the address of the building before requesting help over his radio from the Jamestown Fire Department.
The home is almost completely engulfed in flames when Conklin arrives and screams and cries can be heard from the occupants before Conklin directs them to jump from the window.
“I got you! I got you!” Conklin yells at the person in the burning building. “Jump! I got you, I got you!”
“I can say that I have seen many examples of heroism over the years by officers,” said Jamestown Police Chief Tim Jackson in a statement posted on social media with a portion of Conklin’s body camera footage. “After watching the video of this incident and speaking to others involved, I can say that the actions of Officer Conklin were, to say the least, one of the most outstanding examples of bravery, heroism, and exemplary service I have seen. We, the Jamestown Police Department, are honored to have officers such as Mark Conklin working in the Jamestown Police Department.” Jackson continued.
Authorities did not disclose how many people Conklin was able to save or their condition after the fire but there were no reported deaths in the incident.
“Words can’t describe this act of heroism by Jamestown Police Department at the fire on William St last night,” said the Jamestown Fire Department in a post on Facebook. “Thank you!”
It is currently unclear how the fire began in the first place but investigations into how it started are ongoing.
