Two police officers forced their way into a burning unit in Redfern on Friday night to rescue two people trapped inside.
The officers arrived at the property on Walker Street about 10.20pm to find it well alight, with smoke billowing from the rear windows.
When they realised two people were inside, the officers forced their way in and tried to put out the fire with a fire house.
They found a 59-year-old man in the hallway of the unit, who was struggling to walk and breathe amid the thick smoke.
The officers carried the man to safety and had gone back inside the unit to find the second person - a 75-year-old woman - when firefighters arrived.
They took over the search and rescued the woman.
Both residents were treated at the scene by paramedics and were taken to St Vincents Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Police evacuated neighbours during the fire but they were later allowed to return.
Four police officers - including a sergeant and a probationary constable - were also taken to St Vincents suffering from smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious. The unit has been badly damaged.
