A brave deputy in Douglas County, Colorado, is being hailed a hero after he sprinted to a burning SUV to help pull a man’s trapped dog from the smoke-filled interior. A video of the frightening incident was posted to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on Thursday and it shows Deputy Michael Gregorek responding to the call on January 22.
In an interview with Deputy Gregorek, after the incident, he explains that he was unsure what he would be encountering at the car – was it a crime in progress? Would the car be in close proximity to a house that could also catch fire?
When he approached the scene in his patrol vehicle, he could see a man throwing something at the burning SUV. As he got closer, he learned that the man’s dog was inside of the burning vehicle and he quickly sprang into action, running to the SUV and using a tool to break out the vehicle’s windows. As the smoke billows out, you can hear him calling for the dog who is trapped inside. Eventually, the dog, named Hank, pops his head out of the broken rear window – it is clear that he is in distress at this point in time.
The dog’s owner tries to pull Hank from the SUV, but he is unsuccessful. At this point, the deputy takes over and pulls Hank to safety.
The video shows Hank running after being placed on the ground, and the deputy coughing from the smoke that he inhaled during the rescue effort. Fortunately, both the brave deputy and the dog were okay after a short period of time.
After the incident, Deputy Gregorek explained that he is a dog lover, calling himself a “dog parent,” and stating that a life is a life and he would have done the exact same thing, whether it was for a baby or a dog.
Great job Deputy Gregorek!!
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