Newly Released Police Video Shows Officers Rescuing Woman from 2021 House Fire

A still image from body camera footage shows a State College police officer forcing open a garage door after it began to collapse during a house fire on March 18, 2021. Image via Centre County District Attorney’s Office

By

Geoff Rushton

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July 26, 2022 – 6:50 pm

Five State College police officers who battled through heavy smoke and flames to save a woman from her burning home on March 18, 2021 were recognized on Tuesday as Centre County Law Enforcement Officers of the Year,

Following the ceremony at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, District Attorney Bernie Cantorna released for the first time video footage captured by the body-worn camera of Ofc. Dean Woodring during the fire on Crabapple Court in the Greentree neighborhood.

Woodring was first on the scene and was soon joined by officers Larry Crawford, Ben Capozzi and Cameron Earnest, Lt. Barrett Smith and public works employee John McClure. The video shows how, over the course of three tense minutes, they fought through the extreme conditions inside the house, smoke inhalation and a collapsing garage to reach the mobility-impaired resident and then pull her to safety.

The resident was treated for serious injuries but survived the fire. The officers and McClure were treated for smoke inhalation at Mount Nittany Medical Center and released

Watch the footage below. The resident’s face was blurred prior to the release of the footage to protect her identity.