New Jersey police officer honored for rescuing pair from burning building

EVESHAM, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey police officer has received a commendation for rescuing a person from a burning building and directing a second one to safety.

Officer Kevin Long was honored by the Evesham Police Department on Monday for his actions at a June 16 house fire.

Long was the first to arrive at the scene and discovered that a resident was trapped inside the burning home.

“Without hesitation and under extreme hazardous conditions, Officer Long entered the home, navigating through almost zero visibility to affect a rescue of the trapped resident,” the department said in a statement.

A video from the officer’s body camera shows him directing one person out of the home, then going further inside it to find a second person in a chair who needed to be carried from the burning house.

Both occupants were treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The police officer inhaled smoke during the rescue and was also taken to a hospital but was released shortly afterward.

The fire was contained to the kitchen of the home. Its cause remains under investigation.

The police department said its officers and the township’s fire department “demonstrated exemplary bravery and efficiency.”