Four Crystal Lake police officers have received an award for their heroic efforts in rescuing residents from a house fire.

Officers Campbell, Landeros, Miller and Reyes – whose first names were not provided – were presented the Life Saving Award by Police Chief James Black during a recent City Council meeting.

The officers responded to a call at 3:13 p.m. on Feb. 19 to Cambridge Lane for a house fire, and were “informed by dispatch that there were flames in the kitchen, and that at least one homeowner was unable to escape the home,” Black said.

A portion of the body-worn camera footage was shown to the Council, and a clip was posted on the Crystal Lake Police Department’s Facebook page. The video shows officers removing someone from the home who is in a wheelchair.

Officers showed “no hesitation on their part” when they arrived, Black said, and successfully rescued two people.

Fire Rescue Chief Craig Snyder gave further details illustrating the officers’ bravery, describing the room where the fire was to be “approximately 150 to 200 degrees at the ceiling, and smoke conditions were rapidly deteriorating.”

According to a previous Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department news release, the fire was determined to be under control within 20 minutes. The occupants were assessed on scene by emergency medical services.

The house was deemed uninhabitable, and the Red Cross was requested to assist the residents with housing.

One of the police officers attempted to reenter the home when he found out a cat remained inside, Synder said. But he couldn’t enter because the fire rapidly grew, and Snyder estimates the temperatures intensified to 900 to 1,100 degrees at the ceiling.

“Smoke conditions at that time would have been non-survivable in the fire room and in the adjacent rear hall where they removed the resident from the property,” he said.

The cat was rescued from the home by the fire department.

“I’m so proud of those folks and what they did,” Mayor Haig Haleblain said. “I’m speechless after watching that video.”