Rookie Cop Saves 8-Year-Old Boy From Locust Grove House Fire

An eight year old Locust Grove boy was pulled from a burning home last night, thanks to the cool head of a rookie police officer.

Bryan Hurry was hired full time on the force just three months ago and already, his training has saved a life.

Not much is left of Andrew Ponsler's home in Locust Grove.

The family believes it was an electrical problem in a back room that sparked the blaze.

When Officer Bryan Hurry got the call, he was less than a minute away.

Hurry is also trained as a volunteer firefighter, and when he pulled into the driveway, he knew this would be no routine call.

"I had someone yell, ‘There's a child inside the house.' It shocked me, because this time it was for real," Hurry said.

Ponsler, 8, was trapped behind a locked door in the living room.

While a family member tried to break out a window, Hurry kicked in the door and was met with pitch black smoke.

"The smoke went from the ceiling to probably two foot off the floor," Hurry said. "So, I got down low and I could see his legs. He was probably seven to ten foot inside the doorway."

Ponsler was passed out on the floor.

Officer Hurry pulled him to safety and called in paramedics, and the child was airlifted to the hospital.

"He's still got a lot of carbon monoxide in his lungs," said a family member, Eldric Yeager. "They're working to clear that out. A lot of smoke inhalation is what happened."

Yeager said not much is left to salvage at the family's home, but that is the least of their worries.

"We really don't know what's going to go on. We're just concerned about the boy, right now," Yeager said.

He said they're concerned and grateful—a few more minutes could have cost Andrew Ponsler his life.

Officer Hurry said he was just doing his job.

Andrew's family knows it was much, much more.

"Thank you. Thank you for your service. [We feel] gratitude and we're honored," Yeager said.

Despite Tuesday's scorching temperatures, Officer Hurry says he didn't even feel the heat of the fire.

He said his training kicked in and all he could think about was getting the boy to safety.