Bucks County

Body Cam Footage Shows Police Rescuing Horse From Burning Barn

Body cam video shows two Bucks County police officers saving a horse from a burning barn last week

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Two Hilltown Township police officers rushed into a burning Bucks County, Pennsylvania, barn last week to rescue a spooked horse.

Body cam video released by the township police Thursday shows the Hilltown Pike rescue from the morning of July 23.

Officer Matthew Reiss and Officer Kristian Hanus rushing toward the burning barn asking if everyone made it out OK. They are told a horse is still inside. They then enter the smoky barn – flames coming from a pile of hay – to find the frightened horse hiding in a corner.

Video of the rescue

One officer talks to the horse and tries to urge the animal out the door.

“Give me a rope,” an officer says.

A farm worker can be heard helping direct the officers to the horse’s lead. The officers rope the horse and try to pull the animal out.

The worker then runs inside the barn to help the officers as they continue to tug on the lead.

Finally, the horse darts out of the barn - to the joy of everyone involved.

The officers congratulate each other on a job well done. One of the officers notes that he “ripped" his hand up tugging on the rope.

Both officers suffered minor injuries, township police said. Eight people at the scene were injured, four requiring hospitalization, investigators said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Thursday.

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