Hero Police Officer Kicks In Door, Rushes Into Burning Home To Save Mother And Children

May 21, 2026

A Tennessee police officer is being praised for his quick thinking and courage after body camera footage captured him rushing into a burning apartment building to save a trapped family.

Officer Rogers / Rachel Blaylock and her children

Officer Rogers of the Chattanooga Police Department was the first to arrive at the scene of an apartment fire in Hixson on May 1. When nearby residents told him people were still inside, he didn’t hesitate.

With flames already visible near the entrance, Rogers ran into the smoke-filled building and helped lead a mother and her two children to safety.

According to WTVC, Rogers carried 4-year-old Marlowe Blaylock out of the building while her mother, Rachel Blaylock, followed closely behind with her 10-year-old son, Charles.

Blaylock later said she still can’t stop thinking about the terrifying moments before the rescue.

“I keep thinking back: ‘How was I going to get two kids down the stairs?’” she told WTVC.

She said Rogers immediately took action.

“He just grabs her [Marlowe], and he was willing to go back in,” Blaylock recalled. “I was trying to tell him that no one else was there, but he was going back up.”

Body camera footage later showed Rogers attempting to fight the flames himself using a fire extinguisher until firefighters arrived.

Thankfully, no one was injured during the fire.

In a Facebook post, the Chattanooga Police Department noted that officers are not specifically trained as firefighters, but said Rogers embodied the oath officers take to protect their community.

“Thank you Officer Rogers for your bravery and dedication to serving our community,” the department wrote. “CPD is proud to have exemplary officers like you.”