Joliet police release video of officers helping with rescue at apartment fire

Two Joliet police officers also helped with the rescue of several people inside an apartment building Tuesday that was wrecked by a cooking-related fire.

On Wednesday, the Joliet Police Department released officer Jessie Salazar’s body-camera video on its Facebook page.

The video shows Salazar and officer Paul Shulman assisting with the rescue of residents from a fire sweeping the upper levels of an apartment building at 115 Essington Road.

The video is available at the following link: shorturl.at/ILVTz.

The video shows Salazar responding to a woman at the building crying, “Please help.” The woman and her family were trapped on the third-level balcony, Joliet police officials said.

Salazar is seen going inside the building and attempting to walk up the stairs. But he was not able to go any further because the smoke was too thick.

“I can’t even breathe up there,” Salazar said.

A man who was on the balcony is seen falling to the ground. But he quickly stands up and repeatedly says, “I’m fine.”

In a statement, Joliet fire officials said the man was hanging from the balcony and tried to lower himself to the second-floor balcony but lost his grip.

Next, Joliet Battalion Fire Chief Dan Berta climbs a ladder set against the building while a maintenance worker holds the ladder for him.

The maintenance worker was identified by ABC7 Chicago as Javier Macias.

Berta brings down a toddler, who Salazar takes in his arms. The child is heard saying, “A fire, a fire.”

Berta helps the child’s mother climb down the ladder as well.

Salazar and Shulman both head inside the building, go into the lower level and knock on doors so anyone still inside can leave.

“This seamless collaboration stands as another powerful reminder that the brave men and women of the Joliet Fire Department and Joliet Police Department carry a deep sense of pride in the patch they wear, a patch that bears the name of our city,” the police department said in a written statement.

Joliet Fire Chief Jeff Carey confirmed Wednesday that the fire was cooking-related.

Last year, Carey told residents at the city’s public safety forum that unattended cooking fires “continue to be the No. 1 cause of fires” in the city.

After Tuesday’s fire, seven residents were treated for minor injuries at the scene, and all residents were accounted for, fire officials said.

About 15 people were in the apartment building at the time of the incident, fire officials said.

All other occupants were able to evacuate safely on their own. The building contained 12 residential units housing a total of 39 people, fire officials said.