New body cam video shows Racine officer rescue unconscious man from burning home

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Dramatic new body camera video shows a Racine police officer dragging an unconscious man out of his burning home.

The fire happened Tuesday, April 8. The man remains hospitalized in critical condition.

The Racine Police Department identified the officer only by his last name: Officer Golden.

When the home on Blake Avenue went up in flames at around 12:20 p.m. Officer Golden was first on the scene and was on his own to try and save the man from the fire.

The column of smoke was visible from several blocks away as Golden sped toward the home.

When he pulled up, the entire front of the house was on fire.

When neighbors told him someone was inside the home, he ran down a neighbor's driveway and jumped the fence into the yard.

With the back door locked, he started kicking it, then used his shoulder.

The man was unconscious.

Golden finally got the door all the way open and dragged the man out.

He then went back to the doorway, where two dogs were also lying unconscious, and carried them out.

He radioed, "I got the male in the back. He's unconscious in the back yard. Two dogs, as well."

He talked to one of the dogs, "Come on, buddy. Come on. Come on. You're ok. You're ok."

Then he went back to the unconscious man, working on his chest and repeatedly asking, "Sir, can you hear me? Sir? Sir? Hey. Sir."

Finally, there was a small sign of life when the man moaned faintly.

He radioed, "Just got the male out here now."

As Golden worked on the victim, fire fighters arrived at the side gate.

They asked him, "Do you know if anybody else is in there?" Golden replied, "From what I understand, it's just him."

"Is he breathing?" asked the fire fighters. Golden said, "He's… very shallow. Groaning."

The fire fighters got through the dog cages, into the yard, and to the victim. One lifted him over his shoulders and carried him out to a waiting ambulance.

The others prepared to go into the house.

"He was face down at this door here," Golden told them. "I didn't go any further in, then."

More police officers arrived and helped carry the dogs to the front yard.

Officer Golden walked to his cruiser and got some water, then got into an ambulance to get checked out.

According to the fire department, two children who live at the home were in the front yard when they arrived. The children were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

One dog did not survive.

Officer Golden is on leave for the rest of the week as he recovers from minor injuries.