Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is praising the actions of four police officers who kicked open a door to rescue a man from his burning home at Fairfield East, in Sydney's south-west.
Around 4:15 a.m., emergency services were deployed to the townhouse on Mitchell Street, where a blaze had broken out in a bedroom.
NSW Ambulance paramedics
NSW Police were the first to arrive on-scene and quickly established that a man was trapped inside. They forced open a door and found him lying on the ground, suffering the impacts of smoke inhalation.
The officers carried the man from the home, with firefighters administering oxygen, before NSW Ambulance paramedics transported him to the hospital.
FRNSW crews stopped the flames
The police officers involved in the rescue were also taken to the hospital for precautionary health checks
The police officers involved in the rescue were also taken to the hospital for precautionary health checks. FRNSW crews stopped flames from spreading to neighboring units before extinguishing the fire a short time later.
FRNSW Superintendent - Adam Dewberry said that if not for the quick-thinking actions of the police officers, the outcome could have been tragic.
FRNSW's FIRU
"The officers acted quickly to remove this man from danger, freeing him before the fire had a chance to push out from the room of origin to where he was located," said Supt Adam Dewberry, adding "These actions likely saved the man's life and are to be commended."
Experts from FRNSW's Fire Investigation and Research Unit (FIRU) are working to determine what caused the fire.