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Body cam footage reveals deputy saved 93-year-old man during Arapahoe County apartment fire

Body cam footage reveals deputy saves 93-year-old man during apartment fire
Body cam footage reveals deputy saves 93-year-old man during apartment fire 02:06

An Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputy is being called a hero for his actions during an apartment fire Wednesday morning

While residents headed for the exits, deputy Armando Gutierrez rushed in to help. 

According to deputies, a neighbor called 911 to report a man trapped inside the burning building. When Gutierrez arrived on scene, he encountered someone pointing at the apartment and screaming, "he's in there!"  

Body cam footage shows Gutierrez racing through the hallway, looking for the man's unit.  

"He was in a state of shock," said Gutierrez. "I tell him, 'hey we have to go! We have to go! Come on!' He was just frozen. That's when I go and grab him and pull him out of the apartment."  

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That's when the deputy saw the resident was a 93-year-old man. He was asleep when flames took over the building.

Gutierrez soon realized the man could only speak Russian.  

"I grabbed his wrist and put it over my shoulder and grabbed his hip with my other hand and kind of carried him out," said Gutierrez. 

Quickly it got harder to see and harder to breathe, but they proceeded to make their way down the hallway to the lobby.  

"I'm trying to stay low and as far away from the darker smoke as I can," Gutierrez said. "Once we took him out the smoke started to spread more." 

Gutierrez says didn't run in for the credit or the pats on the back, but firefighters couldn't help but give him a few.  

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"We all sign up to make a difference every day and the day we get to do it is even better," Gutierrez said.  

The man appeared to be OK when they brought him outside, but was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.  

Gutierrez was able to speak with the man's family on the phone and did some translating for him.  

The man told the deputy, "thank you." 

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