KENOSHA — Four police officers and a good Samaritan are being called heroes for saving two people from a burning home.
The Kenosha Police Department posted police body camera footage that shows the daring rescue of one of the men on Thursday night just before 9:00 p.m. on the corner of 69th St. and 57th Ave.
"This is my first fire, so I've never been to an actual in-progress house fire with somebody inside the home," Officer Danielle Moore said.
Officer Danielle 'DJ' Moore was the first officer to respond to the scene. Her body camera footage captured the rescue.
"I get there, and you could just see the entire front of the house and the flames coming out of the front window," Moore said.
She ran toward the garage, past one of the men who had already been rescued thanks to Elia Serrano.
"I was literally just driving by," said Serrano. "I saw the explosion, and I was on the phone, and I'm like, "Holy cow! There's a fire!"
Serrano does not live in the area. She was helping babysit her grandson in Kenosha. Her daughter had returned home, so she was heading to the store to pick up brownie mix when she spotted the fire on Thursday night.
"It was a relief that, not only was she there to help, but it made me feel like, "Hey, we can do this!" Moore said.
Officers Jordan Heitkamp, Justin Labatore, and Cody Williams came just moments later to help the one man still trapped in the garage.
"He was very heavy," said Serrano. "Then two more officers came, and they lifted him like it was nothing."
The two men who were saved both use wheelchairs.
Body cam footage shows the officers battling through the thick smoke, bringing the man to safety just before the home bursts into flames.
"I've responded to multiple house fires over the past years, but this one definitely stands out," said Officer Labatore.
The officers praised Serrano for her quick thinking and fast response.
"That takes a lot of courage to do," Williams said. "She didn't even sign up to do it; she just did it, so that's pretty awesome."
The Kenosha Fire Department arrived just as they brought the man to a safer location. The fire department reported that just after the rescue, a "flashover" occurred inside the house, which caused all of the windows to blow out.
"If one of us goes in, we're all going in," Heitkamp said. "We just have to have each others back."
Now, all five are being hailed as heroes.
"I'm just going to continue to always, if I see something, do something," said Serrano. "I will always, if I can, try to help and hope others do the same."
The two men are okay and recovering now.
