Police officers in Newham, east London, were praised after bodycam footage showed them crawling into a smoke-filled flat to alert residents during a fire this summer.

Footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows the dramatic evacuations shortly after midnight on June 7.

London Fire Brigade said emergency services were called to a balcony fire on the 20th floor of an apartment building in New Barn Street, Plaistow.

The Metropolitan Police said officers arrived on the 20th floor and asked residents to leave the building.

Officers entered an apartment and found a “dazed” man wandering through the smoke. The man said his wife was still inside.

After escorting the man out of the apartment, officers went back into the smoke-filled house to search for his wife.

No other residents were found and the fire was extinguished just before 2am. Image credit: Metropolitan Police via Storyful

Video transcript

My colleagues and I made it to the 20th floor.

Um, where I noticed that the apartment was on fire.

It was full of thick smoke.

And there were some, um, people in the corridor.

Uh, I informed them that there was a fire and that they had to evacuate the property themselves.

And one of the sergeants decided to enter the apartment that day.

We tried to stay as low as possible.

We tried to enter through one of the locked doors and forced our way into that door.

And when that happened, I discovered the gentleman who was in the apartment.

He mentioned that his wife was still completely dazed in the apartment.

So we re-entered the property to make sure his wife wasn’t there.

After we confirmed this, all these rooms were available.

We left the property and continued to assist the other police officers.

My colleagues and I made it to the 20th floor.

Um, where I noticed that the apartment was on fire.

There was thick smoke and several, um, people were still in the corridor.

Uh, I informed them that there was a fire and that they had to evacuate the property themselves.

And one of the sergeants decided to enter the apartment that day.

We tried to stay as low as possible.

We tried to enter through one of the locked doors and forced our way into that door.

And when that happened, I discovered the gentleman who was in the apartment.

He mentioned that his wife was still completely dazed in the apartment.

So we re-entered the property to make sure his wife wasn’t there.

After we confirmed this, all these rooms were available.

We left the property and continued to assist the other police officers.