Camera captured the shocking moment a man allegedly set fire to a family home while his partner and three young children were still inside.
Police rushed to a property in Albany, a regional city about 400 kilometers south of Perth, after receiving reports that a man was threatening his partner.
Body camera footage shows an officer kicking down the front door of the Spencer Park home, where the 30-year-old man was standing in the living room.
Officers were heard yelling at him before he allegedly pulled a lighter from his pocket and ignited the fuel he had poured throughout the house.
Flames engulfed the house as those inside screamed in fear.
A police body camera captured the moment a 30-year-old man allegedly set fire to a home while a woman and three young children were inside.
A fireball leveled the entire house, and police rushed in to save those trapped by the fire.
The officers took cover momentarily but then braved the flames and toxic smoke to rescue the woman and three young children.
An officer yelled “where are the children?” while police put out the flames inside the house.
Western Australian Police Officer Warren Taylor found a young woman covered in one of the rooms and took her to safety.
Officer Taylor said he acted on instinct and didn’t think about danger when he ran into the house looking for the child.
‘I just did it. There was no thought,’ she said.
‘To be honest, you don’t think about being afraid. You just hear that there’s a kid there and you leave.
Officers worked quickly to get the woman and children out of the home and kept the fire under control until the Department of Fire and Emergency Services arrived.
Taylor added that those involved were lucky as none of the attending officers were injured and the entire family was able to escape the home safely.
‘There was gasoline everywhere, big flames. “They were all very lucky to get out,” she said.
The man was arrested and taken into custody and charged with attempted unlawful killing and use of corrosive fluid or any destructive or explosive substance with intent to cause great bodily harm or avoid arrest.
Police will also allege that the man poured gasoline on his partner, covering her clothes.
Western Australia Police Auxiliary Officer Warren Taylor saved a girl from inside the house and said she acted on instinct by running towards danger.
The man was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted unlawful killing and using a corrosive fluid or explosive substance to cause harm or prevent arrest.
The man will face Stirling Gardens Magistrates’ Court on July 24.
Senior Sergeant Carlos Correia said the images showed the dangerous situations officers face every day.
“It just shows the uncertainty that comes with accessing these types of jobs,” said Senior Sergeant Correia.
“You don’t know what’s going on and (the officers) go in there without much thought for their personal safety.”
The images were released in connection with the WA Police Excellence Recognition Awards, with the Albany police station nominated for operational achievements.
