The Garland Police Department shared a stunning body camera video showing a police officer pulling an unconscious man from a burning car Tuesday.
That officer spoke with NBC 5 about his quick action and how he feels while replaying those tense moments.
Officer Matthew Fuhs and his rookie trainee rolled up on a crash late Tuesday night and quickly became aware of the severity of the scene. With just seconds to respond, training and instinct kicked in.
“Once I saw the flames happening, there was a brief moment of, ‘OK. Now things have dramatically changed,’” said Fuhs.
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They found a man unconscious in the grass a few feet away from the burning vehicle. The situation escalated when Fuhs realized there was a second person still inside in the car.
“Time was of the essence,” said Fuhs. “I saw that the flames were starting at the back of the vehicle and they were starting to approach toward the passenger side where he was located.”
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Fuhs, feeling the heat of the flames himself, said his only thought was to get the man out of the car to safety.
“There’s no letting up. You gotta just keep moving forward. You gotta try to get this guy out,” he said.
The crash happened near the Garland Police Department, so officers heard the commotion and ran out to help. Officer Chris Hataway, a 22-year veteran, joined Fuhs in attempting to rescue the man still inside the burning car.
“I’m able to get an arm. But then another officer grabbed ahold of his hair because that was the only thing that he was able to get ahold of since his right arm was still in the vehicle,” he said.
The officers eventually pulled the man through a window on the passenger side of the vehicle just as the flames were growing.
Fuhs is now being called a hero. While he said he’s thankful for the recognition he’s more relieved that lives were saved.
“You just hope that once the dust is settled you end up on the right side and we did and I’m thankful for that,” he said.
NBC 5 was told the two men involved in the crash are expected to be OK. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
