Man rescued from burning Virginia home by police officers before firefighters arrive

CULPEPER, Va. - Dramatic video shows the moments four Culpeper Police officers rushed into a burning home on Old Fredericksburg Road without fire or protective gear to rescue a person trapped inside.

What we know:

The incident occurred Saturday at 6 p.m. The officers arrived on the scene before the fire department and did not hesitate to enter the building after learning that a resident was trapped in a locked bedroom.

Footage captured an officer crawling on his hands and knees, and then on his chest, through heavy smoke before locating an unresponsive man in bed.

"Come on, brother, come with me! I’m trying to get him out; I have him; he’s breathing! Pull, pull," the officer can be heard saying on video.

With the help of three fellow officers, the man was dragged out of the home to safety just as firefighters and paramedics arrived on the scene.

All four officers were hospitalized for smoke inhalation following the rescue and are currently doing well.

What they're saying:

"I’ve never gone into an active house fire like that," said K9 Handler Neal Coffey. "Another officer came in, said he was alive, he was actually in the same hospital we were, he was up and talking—that was a huge relief for me."

Officer Ashley Sain reflected on the rapid response: "You do what you have to do in the moment; afterwards, I think we all looked back and thought, wow, we really did that."

Culpeper Police Chief Chris Settle commended the crew's bravery.

"That’s the way they’re wired, that’s why they took the oath, that’s why they’re police officers," Chief Settle said. "They’re wired to save lives no matter what the cost is."

The officers expressed gratitude to the firefighters and paramedics who arrived right behind them to take over the scene.

Culpeper CountyVirginiaNews