{This story includes video footage from police body cameras. Viewer discretion is advised.}
SUFFOLK, Va. - Suffolk Police Detective David Green relived the day that a three-alarm fire broke out in the 500 block of Smith Street.
It happened about a year ago.
"We weren't really sure what we had going on, but we could see a ton of smoke," he said.
At the time he was training a rookie officer at the time, Austin Keiser.
"Dispatch came out with an explosion somewhere in the area of Smith Street," Keiser said.
They just happened to be on a routine patrol, minutes away. Their body-worn cameras show them racing to the building.
Officer Keiser urgently asked, "Is everyone out, is everyone out?"
A bystander responds, "[There are] some kids upstairs, sounds like some kids were upstairs!"
Detective Green yells through an open door, "Suffolk Police Department! Can you come downstairs?"
A bystander mentions, there are some steps out back to the rear of the house.
Officer Keiser races around back, looking for another entry point. He attempts to kick on a back door yelling.
"Suffolk Police!"
No answer. He races back to the front.
In seconds, Detective Green entered the smoke-filled building, trying to coax the two children closer to his voice.
"Can you guys still hear me?"
There's a faint, muffled reply.
"Come on! Come on, come on! Come on, come on!" he shouted.
A nine-year-old girl emerged from a smoke-filled staircase, and Detective Green helps her out of the burning building.
But she said her three-year-old sister is still inside.
Battalion Chief Jack Knight is now on the scene. He and the two officers are determined to rescue this little girl.
All three enter the building, Chief Knight heads up the dark stairway, the two officers behind him, before being pushed back by thick smoke.
As the chief is heading back down he asks one of the officers for a flashlight and shines it up the stairway and they see the first images of the little girl. Officer Keiser grabs her and all three race out of the burning building.
Now that she's out, Officer Keiser carries the child, running to the closest ambulance to get her treated for smoke inhalation.
A year later, News 3's Kurt Williams ask the officers about their actions and the fact they went into that building without any protective gear.
"It was a risk worth taking at that point," Det. Green said. "I think I looked at Keiser at one point as we all came back together and said we have to go! We have to go in!"
Chief Knight agrees.
"Every life is important and every life is equal, especially if you're a parent," Knight said. "There's something special involved when it's a kid."
Officer Keiser had only been on the force for six weeks when this fire happened.
"When you get in certain situations you really don't know what to think," Keiser said. "You just gotta go and I think that's what's unique about being a police officer or a firefighter. Each day you come to work, you just don't know what's going to get handed to you."
For those reasons, all three were presented with a News 3 Everyday Hero award and they will split a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner Southern Bank.
Chief Knight, Detective Green and Officer Keiser have also been nominated for the Hampton Roads Chamber's Valor Awards.
