HERO police officers who stormed a burning building to save the life of a barely conscious woman have been awarded for their bravery.

Armed with only a small fire extinguisher, the two life-saving officers from South Oxfordshire ran into the blazing inferno to drag the victim to safety.

The fire had engulfed the kitchen and smoke blanketed the home in North Drive, Harwell, and PC Matthew Agar and PC Caleb Smith, who were on patrol just minutes away, recall first seeing smoke just 'pouring from the property'.

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Hero neighbours who also saw the smoke on the evening of December 27, 2017, smashed the back door in but were unsure if someone was inside – however when the heroic officers arrived, they said they weren't about to wait to find out.

Instead, they faced their first fire in which they were confronted with battling the flames in order to save someone's life.

PC Agar said: “It was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

Oxford Mail:

"When you arrive at a job like this you just get an immediate adrenaline rush, it doesn’t really kick in how dangerous what you’ve encountered is until after it’s all over.

"It was just a case of 'get in there, try and tackle the fire and get this woman out'."

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The pair, who admitted they had little preparation in fighting fires, said despite the thick 'choking smoke' they stormed the burning home to find the victim.

PC Smith fought his way to the living room, barely able to see through the smoke, and found the woman 'barely concious' and slouched under a duvet on the sofa.

At the same time, PC Agar was battling the flames tearing through the kitchen before helping his colleague drag the slumped victim free from the fire.

Oxford Mail:

By this point, the fire service had also arrived and began treating the woman who went on to make a full recovery.

It is believed a neighbour also helped with the rescue from the fire, which was reportedly caused by cooking left unattended.

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PC Smith said: "It was a bit daunting because we have no preparation to deal with fire other than the tiny little fire extinguisher that we have got in the back of the car.

"The smoke was very bad, and the visibility was really poor, so it was a case of trying to track the woman down."

The heroic actions of the pair have now bagged them a Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Award.

Oxford Mail:

PC Matthew Agar (left) and PC Caleb Smith (right) – with Thames Valley Police chief constable Francis Habgood.

They are among a handful of police officers being awarded for their bravery at the annual awards.

Thames Valley Police Federation Chairman Craig O’Leary said the officers were life-savers.

He added: "They had to make that decision to get into the building and find the woman despite the flames and choking smoke.

"They had to act decisively, and their bravery and quick-thinking actions certainly saved this woman’s life. We are very proud of them both."

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PC Smith added: "We are a little bit shocked but very privileged to have won a Thames Valley Police Federation Bravery Award."

The pair will attend an awards ceremony on Thursday, February 28, where an overall winner will be announced. The awards are in association with JRM Mortgage Solutions and updates will be published on Twitter using the hashtag #TVPFedBravery