As soon as he pulled up to a house on fire in Tilden, Wisc., Friday night, Chippewa Falls Police Officer Craig Mantzke wasted no time running into the burning home.
“Officer Craig Mantzke was first to arrive on scene and bravely entered the residence, which was fully engulfed in flames,” wrote the Chippewa Falls Police Department on its Facebook page yesterday. “Officer Mantzke forced his way inside, searching for people through the smoke and flames.”
A dashcam video shows Mantzke’s patrol car approaching the house and the officer running into the burning structure. Video from his body camera shows him searching the house as it fills with smoke.
After the video ends, Mantzke found an 8-year-old Shih Tzu named Maggie gated in the kitchen area and helped her escape.
“I think if we were in the same position we’d be absolutely elated if someone was able to save our pet or do what they could to save our pets,” Mantzke told WEAU. “Those are a big part of families.”
No other members of the Sullivan family, who have lived in the house for 12 years, were home at the time of the fire. The house was a total loss, but the family told WEAU they’re thankful no one, including Maggie, was hurt. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the family recover.
A composite of the dash cam and body cam videos that was posted on the Chippewa Falls Police Department’s Facebook page yesterday has been viewed more than 77,000 times as of this morning.
Photo via Facebook