Bodycam shows a man setting fire to a home as officers rescue a woman and three children
By: The moment a man allegedly set fire to a family home has been shared by police in a confronting video, offering a glimpse of the dangerous and dynamic situations cops face on the beat every day.
Officers braved ferocious flames and toxic smoke to rescue a woman and three young children after being called to a life-threatening incident in regional WA in April.
Body-worn camera footage shows an officer kicking down the door of the home in Spencer Park, Albany, about 400km south of Perth, to find a man standing in the living room.
When he is asked to “show me your hands”, the man bends down and allegedly uses a lighter to ignite a trail of fuel that had been poured throughout the home, sending a “ball of flames” racing through the property.
Officers retreat momentarily, but with children unaccounted for, they run back inside.
As the fire alarm blares, police extinguish the flames while one officer screams, “where are the kids?”
Warren Taylor found a young girl covering up in another room and took her to safety.
The auxiliary officer said he was acting on instinct when heading back towards danger.
“To be honest, you don’t think about being scared. You just hear there’s a child in there, and you’re off,” he said.
Police allege petrol had also been thrown at the man’s partner, covering her clothing.
Officers got the family out of the home safely and worked to control the blaze until firefighters arrived.
Even with the family safe, no officers hurt and a man taken into custody, Taylor said he knows all involved were lucky.
“Probably could have gone a bit worse. There was petrol everywhere, big flames. Everyone was pretty lucky to get out,” he said.
The accused, 30, was charged with attempting unlawfully to kill, and using a corrosive fluid or explosive substance to cause harm or prevent arrest.
He will appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court in July.