Body cam footage shows Austin officers rescue two from balcony during fire

Three Austin Police Department officers worked on a rescue together that saved a mother and daughter from an apartment fire.

AUSTIN, Texas - In the early morning hours of Dec. 11, a fire broke out at the Ashford Cota Esmeralda apartments in northeast Austin.

APD Officers Brent Gray and Ana Aguilar along with Sgt. Rob Gilbert happened to be nearby after responding to a different call.

A 9-1-1 caller had told dispatchers that she was trapped, and the officers were able to track down the woman and her 10-year-old daughter to a balcony where they were screaming for help.

Three APD officers recognized for heroic efforts

Three Austin Police Department officers worked on a rescue together that saved a mother and daughter from an apartment fire.

"I heard my partner (Officer Gray) calling me over so I went over there and that’s where the mom and daughter were up on the second floor," said Ofc. Aguilar. "The smoke was pretty bad; there were times I couldn’t even see my partner standing two feet in front of me."

As flames got closer to that side of the complex, officers encouraged the woman to hand her daughter to one of the officers.

"We were trying to reassure them, ‘We’re going to get you, you’re going to be okay, but you need to help us help you get to safety,’" said Sgt. Gilbert. "Going into a situation like that where it’s very dynamic and actions are required very quickly, the thought process almost kind of goes away to just, react and do what needs to be done."

And it took no less than a team effort. In the body camera footage, Ofc. Aguilar can be heard asking about the woman’s daughter and telling the woman to hand her daughter to Ofc. Gray. The girl was passed down to each of the three officers until she was safely on the ground.

"I wasn’t really thinking just acting," said Ofc. Gray. "I didn’t know exactly how we were going to do it, but I knew they were up there and we needed to get them down."

APD releases bodycam of officers rescuing family from burning apartment

APD Officer Brent Gray, Officer Ana Aguilar, and Sgt. Robert Gilbert all assisted in rescuing the daughter from the balcony, and Austin Fire Department used ladders to get the mother down.

Later, Austin firefighters were able to help the mother get down a fire ladder. Both were uninjured.

For their efforts, the three officers have been nominated for Meritorious Service Medals, according to APD. APD Cpl. Chadwick Honaker also assisted at the scene and ended up buying Christmas gifts for the family.

A resident at the apartment complex that spoke to FOX 7 on Tuesday also credited the quick actions of APD and AFD.

"If it wasn’t for the officers responding as quickly, I would’ve lost my family and she probably would’ve lost hers too," said Patricia, who lived below the woman and her daughter, before her unit was destroyed. "Everybody is alive today, and it’s because of how quickly they responded."

According to the Austin Fire Department, the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking material. It caused more than $400,000 in damage.

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