As police officers raced up to a wooden house in the town of Culpeper, Virginia on the evening of Oct. 3, heavy smoke billowed out of the windows.
asserted
smoke → race → windows
Residents who lived in separate apartments in the house stood outside, according to the Culpeper Police Department.
But one man hadn’t come out, they told police.
uncertain
they → live → police
They worried that he might be inside.
uncertain
he → worry → ?
Officer Ashley Sain didn’t wait.
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Sain → wait → ?
She rushed toward the house and went in without protective gear and began checking doors, searching for anyone who might still be inside.
uncertain
who → rush → anyone
Moments later, Officer Neal Coffey joined her.
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Coffey → join → her
Body-worn camera footage shows one officer running up stairs, past "No Smoking" signs with red lettering posted on the walls.
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officer → wear → walls
On the second floor, the duo found a door that was locked from the inside.
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that → find → inside
Smoke slipped through through cracks above and below.
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Smoke → slip → cracks
"Police department, if you’re in here!" Sain shouted over shrieking smoke alarms.
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Sain → ’re → alarms
Meanwhile, Coffey quickly opened the lock with a pocket-size tool and cautiously swung open the door, calling out, "Police department!"
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Coffey → open → department
Heavy black smoke poured from the bedroom.
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smoke → pour → bedroom
The officers could see flames.
uncertain
officers → see → flames
"Police department!" Sain shouted again.
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Sain → shout → ?
By that time, Sgt. David Cole and Officer Michael Beel had made it to the second floor, as well.
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Cole → make → floor
Body-worn camera footage shows Coffey crawling on his hands and knees, then flat on the wooden plank floor, searching the room with a flashlight.
asserted
Coffey → wear → flashlight
"I can’t see!" he shouted with a tone of increasing desperation, as he pushed through thicker smoke.
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he → see → smoke
He inched forward on his chest, feeling around through the smoke.
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He → inch → smoke
Suddenly, he found a man lying unresponsive on a bed.
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he → find → bed
"Hey brother, come on!" he urges frantically, tugging the man’s arm.
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he → come → arm
Come with me!"
He shouted again through the smoke to fellow officers.
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He → come → officers
"We’ve got to get him out!
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We → get → him
I have him!
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I → have → him
He’s breathing!"
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He → breathe → ?
Video shows him struggling to move the man.
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him → show → man
We need help!" an officer shouted.
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officer → need → help
Coffey pulled the limp man onto the floor.
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Coffey → pull → floor
Beel crawled in to help.
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Beel → crawl → ?
Together, the four officers dragged the unconscious man into the hallway.
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officers → drag → hallway
Then a firefighter in protective gear emerged through the smoke.
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firefighter → emerge → smoke
A team of firefighters carried the man out of the burning building, and extinguished the fire.
The rescued resident was transported to a hospital, then transferred to a regional burn center.
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resident → carry → center
His name and the cause of the fire have not been released because those details are part of an active investigation.
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details → release → investigation
Three of the police officers also were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
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Three → treat → inhalation
They were released that evening.
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They → release → ?
All four who braved the smoke and flames were honored with valor awards on Oct. 14, Capt. Kevin Tooley of the Culpeper Police Department told Fox News Digital.
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Tooley → brave → Digital
"They went above and beyond the normal call for a police department," Tooley said of his team.
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Tooley → go → team
"We normally don't go into burning buildings.
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We → go → buildings
I mean, that's not our job.
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that → mean → ?
But we don't know how to say no, especially when there's a life … that we know we have to save."
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we → know → that
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