ST. GEORGE, Utah — Real body-camera footage released by the St. George Police Department shows officers forcing doors, waking residents and helping evacuate families from a burning apartment building during a June 7 fire, according to KUTV, ABC4 Utah and FOX 13 Utah.
The fire broke out early Sunday at an apartment complex on East Riverside Drive. ABC4 identified the complex as Bella Vista Apartments and reported that one building contained 20 apartments. KUTV reported the fire destroyed or significantly damaged 20 units and displaced at least 20 residents, with the American Red Cross of Utah helping arrange temporary lodging.
The footage shows officers going unit to unit while smoke and fire spread through the building. KUTV reported that officers yelled for adults to run and carried children out. ABC4 reported that one officer broke down a first-floor apartment door, woke sleeping residents and ordered them to evacuate.
Ladder rescue and door-to-door evacuation
FOX 13 reported that officers also used a nearby ladder to help rescue a resident trapped in a second-floor apartment. ABC4 similarly reported a ladder rescue for a person in a second-floor unit and said several police officers went back into the burning building, knocking down doors and moving residents out.
FOX 13 reported that a loud crash and bright flash can be heard and seen about two minutes into the video, with officials saying part of the building had started to fail while officers were inside.
St. George police released the public video on the department’s official Instagram account, describing officers’ evacuation work during the June 7 apartment fire.
Eight officers treated, residents safely evacuated
KUTV and FOX 13 reported that eight St. George Police Department officers were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation and have since been released. ABC4 reported that the St. George Fire Department did not report resident injuries despite the extensive flames.
Multiple fire agencies responded, including St. George, Santa Clara-Ivins, Washington and Hurricane firefighters, according to ABC4 and FOX 13. FOX 13 reported that fire officials said the fire moved through a shared attic connected to 20 units.
The cause of the fire has not been released publicly in the reports reviewed by ThinBlueNews. This article is limited to the public footage, official-agency release route and facts reported by the cited Utah outlets.
Sources reviewed
- KUTV: Bodycam footage shows St. George police rescuing residents from burning apartment
- ABC4 Utah: Bodycam footage shows evacuation of burning apartment building
- FOX 13 Utah: Police release body cam footage of rescue efforts during St. George apartment fire
- St. George Police Department official Instagram Reel route
Editorial note: ThinBlueNews used a real St. George Police Department bodycam/source frame from the public release. No AI-generated rescue scene, fake officer image or unrelated staged art was used.