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OMAHA, Neb. —
Two police officers in Omaha, Nebraska, are credited with saving a 4-year-old from a house fire.
Omaha police released photos from body-worn cameras showing the rescue Tuesday morning.
Officers David Eckstrom and Ian Baxter were responding to an abandoned car in the street when they saw an explosion and a large fire.
“I just kind of glance over to the east, well just east of us, and saw an orange glow, small, and at first thought it was like a little bonfire or something like that,” Baxter said. “It grew extremely rapidly to the point where it ended up being a big fireball.”
Baxter said he radioed to Eckstrom and asked him to go check it out. At the scene, residents told the officers that their 4-year-old son was still in the basement, officials said. Eckstrom kicked out a basement window and called for the child.
“I’m a dad before a cop,” Eckstrom said. “Every kid I see reminds me of my own kids, so just did what I could. It all happened so fast. It’s nothing you can really plan for.”
Omaha police said the child followed the sound of the officers’ voices to the window, where Eckstrom pulled him to safety.
Eckstrom suffered lacerations to his forearms from the broken glass during the rescue.
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