Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies Ryan McConnell and Chris Calderon displayed extraordinary bravery when they rescued two young siblings trapped in their snowy backyard on Sunday as their home burned. Dramatic body camera footage captures the harrowing scene.
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Two heroic Colorado deputies risked their lives to save a young brother and sister trapped in their snowy backyard as their home burned.
The 8-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl were stranded outside their Centennial home on Sunday as heavy smoke and flames engulfed the residence. The oldest managed to jump out a back window and call 911.
Deputies Ryan McConnell and Chris Calderon responded to a house fire in Centennial on Sunday.
(Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies Ryan McConnell and Chris Calderon were the first to rush to the scene.
“As soon as I got near the house, I could hear the kids screaming,” McConnell said. “My first thought was they were still inside. Obviously, they were terrified, had no idea what was going on.”
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First-arriving firefighters encountered heavy fire and smoke emanating from the residence.
(Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
Neighbors said they could hear their cries for help and even tried to reach the kids with a ladder before deputies arrived, FOX 31 in Denver reports.
Unable to access the backyard through a blocked gate, the deputies managed to gain entry through a neighbor’s property. In dramatic body camera footage provided by the sheriff’s office, the deputies are seen tearing down a portion of a wooden fence with their bare hands.
Body camera footage shows deputies tearing down a portion of a wooden fence with their bare hands to rescue the trapped children.
(Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
“Our main job, whenever we show up on a scene like this, is life preservation and making sure that everyone gets out of the house and everyone’s safe,” McConnell said. “Push comes to shove, we’re going to do what we need to do to save some lives.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
(Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office)
Both deputies suffered smoke inhalation but were treated at the scene by paramedics. One South Metro Fire Rescue firefighter was treated on-site and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
No one else was inside the home at the time of the fire, the children told deputies. The children’s mother told FOX 31 that she had just left the home four minutes earlier.
“My daughter called me and I just jumped in that car and I heard the sirens and I couldn’t believe that was our house,” she said.
Due to an excessive amount of belongings both inside and outside the home, firefighters said they faced significant challenges in accessing and extinguishing the fire, requiring a defensive firefighting strategy.
Sadly, one dog and one cat did not survive the fire while four other cats remain unaccounted for, firefighters said. The family of four has been displaced, and American Red Cross of Colorado is assisting the family with their needs.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.