Four Vancouver police officers were sent to hospital Wednesday afternoon after they were injured rescuing four people and two dogs from a burning building.
The officers were on patrol when they noticed smoke coming from the second-storey apartments above a row of shops along Kingsway near Knight Street at 2 p.m., according to a VPD press release. When they entered the building, they could hear screams from people struggling to find their way out through the thick smoke.
The police officers used fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the blaze, and then crawled on the floor while holding flashlights, yelling to the residents to help them find their way out.
The residents and their dogs all made it out of the building safely.
During the rescue, one officer was hit in the head as sections of the ceiling started collapsing. All four officers were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
They have since been released and are now recovering at home.
