A dramatic rescue was caught on camera in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning as firefighters worked to save a woman trapped inside a burning building.

Two Los Angeles Police officers noticed a large plume of smoke just before 1:00 AM at a home on the 800 block of 74th Street. When they arrived, neighbours were screaming that a woman was still trapped inside the home.

“It’s kind of one of those things where you’re in the right place at the right time. I’m thankful my partner saw it. Her seeing the smoke gave us the opportunity to make sure the lady made it out of the house OK,” Officer Christopher Carnahan, the officer who first spotted the smoke, told NBC Los Angeles.

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What unfolded was several tense minutes as the officers try to free the woman, who is trapped by the growing flames. Neighbours attempted to pry the woman’s front door open with a crowbar, but were not successful. The two officers attempted to kick her back door down, but found it too was blocked.

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Eventually, aided by the two responding officers as well as local residents, the firefighters were able to cut through the metal bars covering the windows on one side of the house before pulling the woman to safety.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital but is expected to be ok. A dog was also rescued from the fire but died on scene.