OCALA, Fla. – An Ocala Police Department officer called to the scene of a suspected arson kicked in the door of the home to rescue a woman and her dog who were trapped inside.
The fire happened around 3 a.m. Friday on SW 7th Street and while police said they believe arson was involved, they haven’t said how the fire started.
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Body camera video shows multiple officers responding to the scene. In the video, Officer Gallops is seen approaching the flame-engulfed front door with a fire extinguisher and dousing the flames as smoke filled the air.
With the fire out, Officer Decker ran to the back door to help the homeowner who was trapped inside.
“Is there anything going on inside? Can you breathe OK?” Decker asked the 67-year-old woman through the door.
She told him there was smoke inside moments before he instructed her to step back so he could kick down the door.
With the door now open, she and her puppy, named Brown, were able to escape.
According to police, the woman told the officers she was laying in bed when she heard a loud boom. The victim went to her front door and found it on fire. The woman then hit an emergency button on her necklace to call for help, records show.
The woman told police she had lived in the home for more than 30 years without incident, according to the police report.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call detective Daniel Collier at 352-369-7045 or Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP (7867).