Police in northwest Indiana shared body-camera video of an officer pulling a woman and child to safety after a September house explosion.
The video was released as the Porter County sheriff’s office bestowed its Medal on Honor to Lt. Van Kley, who played a critical role in rescuing the family in the Sept. 10 fire.
Kley heard the call of the explosion over the radio and was one of the first responders to arrive, the sheriff’s office said in a statement
At the scene, Kley heard screams coming from the wreckage and found a child trapped under debris, police said.
Video shows him freeing the child’s leg and pulling the child to safety.
Seconds later, Kley found a woman stuck under wreckage on the other side of the home and called out, “All hands on deck.”
He and other responders lifted a piece of collapsed roof and pulled the woman to safety.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that we were close by,” Kley was quoted as saying in the statement.
The house had reportedly collapsed and caught fire after a gas explosion.
Two other responders, Sgt. Piazza and Sgt. Murray, were given Life Saving Awards for their role in the incident, police said.
It’s the third time the Porter County sheriff’s office has issued its Medal of Honor.
