Body-worn camera video shows an Eau Claire officer sprinting into a burning townhouse to pull a family to safety, footage that surfaced Friday as investigators continued piecing together how a fire that caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage tore through a west-side complex earlier this month.
CBS News Chicago featured the footage in a video report that described the officer running into the burning townhouse to rescue the family inside. No injuries were reported among residents or first responders.
Fire Traced to a Rear Deck on Stonewood Drive
The blaze broke out around 7 a.m. on September 13 at a four-unit townhouse complex at 5231 Stonewood Drive, according to the Daily Dispatch. Fire inspectors determined the fire started in the rear deck area of a center unit before spreading upward into the building's upper floors and shared attic space, the outlet reported, and total damage to the building and its contents is estimated at $1.2 million.
Firefighters faced dangerous conditions once the flames reached the roof. Deteriorating roof conditions forced crews to temporarily pull back from inside the building before they could knock down enough fire to safely re-enter, per 715Newsroom.com. The retreat underscores how quickly a fire that starts outdoors can turn into a structural hazard once it works its way into a shared roofline.
Shared Walls and Attics Raise the Stakes in Attached Housing
Townhouse fires like this one carry extra risk because flames can move sideways through common building elements rather than staying contained to a single unit. Wisconsin building rules include provisions for multi-family units and townhouses, according to the Wisconsin State Legislature. Separately, the state's administrative code also requires automatic fire sprinkler systems in multi-family residential structures with three or more attached dwelling units, as outlined by USA Fire Protection.
In the aftermath, the American Red Cross assisted residents displaced by the fire, the Daily Dispatch reported.
A Similar Rescue in the Chippewa Valley
In October 2024, Elk Mound Police Chief Chad Weinberger forced open the door of a burning residence in neighboring Dunn County and pulled out two occupants and a pet before fire crews got there, according to Inside Edition.
Fire and EMS calls in Eau Claire rose 25% between 2012 and 2021, according to Volume One.
The cause of the Stonewood Drive fire remains under investigation, and officials have not released additional details on the extent of injuries or damage beyond the estimated $1.2 million figure. For now, the bodycam footage stands as the clearest documentation of how close the fire came to trapping residents before the officer's quick entry got them out.
