New body camera footage obtained by 7News shows the moment two Miami Police officers ran into danger during a raging apartment fire. With no firefighting equipment and a 36-year-old man in dire need of help, officers Michael Chacon and Brandon Rodriguez didn’t hesitate to rush into the burning building near Northwest 40th Street and 13th Avenue, March 31. The pair were the first to arrive to the scene after authorities received reports of an apartment fire in the area. “They don’t know if anyone’s inside, so I was just trying to get to that location,” said Rodriguez. The officers were then flagged down by a woman who told them there was a man still inside. “A woman flagged to me. She was screaming,” said Rodriguez. All they were equipped with to handle this situation was a burning desire to try to get everyone out. “It’s nothing but smoke,” said Chacon. “We ducked, we went in.” “I started coughing,” said Rodriguez. The two are seen rapidly crawling into the unit, reaching the man deeper inside and grabbing hold of his arm to help drag him to safety. “Give me your hand, give me your hand,” an officer can be heard shouting in the footage. Recalling the intense rescue, Chacon and Rodriguez said their only priority was to help that man. “Did anything to just pull him out,” said Chacon. “I saw that somebody needed our help, and that’s what we signed up for,” said Rodriguez. Seconds after pulling him outside, Miami Fire Rescue units arrived on the scene, and they immediately transported the badly burned man to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Tragically, the 36-year-old would succumb to his injuries days later in the hospital. The remaining residents, including the injured man’s roommate, managed to escape unharmed as crews fought the blaze. Officials later determined the fire began after a gas can was ignited by the victim’s lit cigarette. “I heard a ‘boom,'” said a resident who spoke with 7News the following day. “I heard a scream I’ll never forget.” Both officers told 7News it was their first time entering a burning building. They just wished it had led to a better outcome. “I was just hoping that, you know, he would be able to survive,” said Rodriguez. “It’s something you don’t really encounter every time,” said Chacon. Miami Police Chief Manny Morales commended the officers’ fearless actions in an attempt to help someone in their community. “Their actions gave that individual a fighting chance,” said Morales. “It didn’t end the way that we would all hope for, but that doesn’t even make their actions less heroic. They were gonna put their lives in danger to save a member of our community.” At least one other person was displaced in the aftermath of the fire, with several others receiving assistance from the American Red Cross. ...read more read less