According to a release from the Clarksville Police Department, officers first arrived at the residence on Stafford Street around 6:15 Saturday morning, after a 911 call from a neighbor and an alert to the Computer Aided Dispatch system. Upon arrival, they found a home in flames. There were vehicles outside the residence, and based on information from a witness, they had reason to believe there may have been someone trapped inside the house.
The release says officers pounded on doors and tried to wake up any residents, but they had no luck. Eventually, they decided to kick in the front door, and Officer Darren Koski, Officer Craig Gipson and Sergeant Dave Bramel ventured into the residence, remaining low to the ground and holding onto each other's ankles, so they could stay in contact with one another as they crawled through the house. They started shouting out for anyone who may be inside. At this point, the house was reportedly filled with smoke, and there was very little visibility.
Then, they heard a voice from the back of the house. It was from Gregg, who had been asleep and seemed very disoriented, according to the report.
They were able to pull him out the front door to safety. Seconds later, an explosion happened, engulfing the house in flames. Gregg later told officers he is a heavy sleeper and kept a towel at the base of his bedroom door to keep out any light. He hadn't been aware of the fire until he heard a loud noise — most likely the sound of officers kicking in his door.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
However, other than some smoke inhalation sustained by Officers Koski and Gipson, there were no injuries.
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