Heart-Stopping Video Shows Police Officer Race into Burning Apartment Building to Save Mom and 2 Kids

A police officer rushed into a burning apartment in Tennessee to save a mom and her two young children.

On the night of Friday, May 1, a fire broke out at a two-story apartment building in the 500 block of Cranberry Way in Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Fire Department said in an alert. By 9:45 p.m. local time, fire officials received several reports of flames coming from an apartment on the second floor, and police officers were already at the scene.

“Officers acted fast to evacuate residents,” the agency said.

In a separate post, the Chattanooga Police Department celebrated one of its heroic officers, identified as Officer Rogers, and shared body camera footage of his daring rescue.

The department said that he was the first to arrive at the scene and witnessed flames licking at the front door. When neighbors told him that people were still inside, Rogers jumped into action.

In the footage, the officer ran inside the smoke-filled apartment and grabbed a child. A woman carrying another child followed him outside to safety. Later in the video, Rogers used a fire extinguisher to quell some of the flames on the exterior of the door.

Ultimately, Rogers helped save two children and their mother, police said. No injuries were reported.

“The CFD applauds Officer Rogers’ bravery during the dangerous situation that was unfolding,” a spokesperson for the fire department tells PEOPLE in a statement.

“Chattanooga police officers often take action in the moments before our fire trucks arrive on emergency scenes to begin life-saving measures,” the spokesperson continues. “We greatly appreciate the work officers do to serve and protect our community alongside our firefighters. Public safety is paramount and together, the CFD and CPD do incredible work.”

The residents were identified as Rachel Blaylock, her 4-year-old daughter, Marlowe, and her 10-year-old son, Charles, officials confirmed to ABC affiliate WTVC.

The mother told the outlet that Rogers was willing to re-enter the building to ensure everyone made it out safely.

“I keep thinking back, how was I going to get two kids down the stairs?” Blaylock told the outlet. “He just grabs her, and he was willing to go back in. And I was trying to tell him that no one else was there, but he was going back up.”

After the daring rescue, firefighters arrived and discovered that the blaze was on both exterior and interior walls of the building, with flames going into the attic, the Chattanooga Fire Department said.

As some first responders attacked the flames, others conducted a search of the apartment building and found a parakeet inside. No one else was inside the building, and the animal was safely returned to its owner, officials said.

“By 10:01 PM, crews had knocked down the bulk of the fire,” the agency said, “and by 10:04, the fire was under control.”

Several people have since been displaced and have received support from the American Red Cross, according to the fire department spokesperson.

“The cause of the fire is undetermined, according to Chattanooga fire investigators,” she continues. “It appears to have been accidental in nature.”

The Chattanooga Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information.

Blaylock, a single mom, was also displaced and lost most of her family’s belongings, according to a GoFundMe page. The organizer said that the funds will go toward necessities for Blaylock and her two children, as well as temporary housing until their home is repaired.

Despite the life-altering losses, Blaylock told WTVC that she’s grateful that she and her children are safe.

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“I tried to thank him that night,” Blaylock told the outlet of her attempt to thank Rogers, “and he’s just shrugging it off, like it’s just another day at work, but that’s my little daughter.”