BRISTOL TWP., Pa. — A police officer in Bristol Township is being praised for his courage after entering a burning apartment complex early Wednesday morning to assist in evacuating residents who were asleep.
Officer Michael Leonhauser responded to a fire at the Levittown Trace Apartments on Ford Road, arriving at the scene around 5:30 a.m. With his body camera recording, he is seen moving from door to door in the smoke-laden building, warning the occupants of the imminent danger.
“My first thought was, okay, there aren’t many people outside. I need to enter the buildings and knock on some doors,” Leonhauser explained.
As he exited, coughing from the smoke, Leonhauser noticed a man clinging to a second-story window, prompting him to swiftly assist and direct the man to safety.
“I rush over. I didn’t want him to fall to the concrete, so I aided him on his way down,” Leonhauser said.
The man said he had lived in the apartment for 22 years and was trapped by thick smoke.
“When I entered the hallway, I couldn’t proceed further due to the overwhelming smoke,” he recounted. “See that window there? It’s the one I jumped through. Look at my hand? I’m thankful it’s not my life. Truly thankful.”
Resident Kyle Hamell described the scene as chaotic.
“The roof was on fire, windows, flames coming out of the windows, everything,” Hamell said.
Battling the blaze, three firefighters suffered injuries. One broke an arm from a roof collapse, another injured an ankle, and a third was treated for smoke inhalation. The fire marshal reported that 12 apartments were destroyed.
“We had fire on the second floor, third floor, and up in the attic,” said Fire Chief Kevin Dippolito. “Once it got up in the attic, it was running in both directions in the shoe-shaped building, so the fire department had their work cut out for them.”
The Red Cross is assisting approximately 40 displaced residents.
Leonhauser says some of those residents got out just in time.
“Anybody in my position would have done the same thing,” Leonhauser said. “I’m just glad that everybody was ok and he didn’t sustain any major injuries.”
The fire occurred on Leonhauser’s birthday. He said he was humbled to spend the day helping others.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
