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A fire Friday afternoon in downtown Morehead destroyed an apartment building that was also home to five Morehead State University students. Everyone got out okay thanks to a police officer who put the safety of others ahead of his own.

Dozens of firefighters remained Friday night even after the sun had left the smoky scene, but the longest day of all may have belonged to Officer Mark Hammonds. He came on the clock at 6 a.m., and took his life in his hands before anyone else arrived at the scene of the fire.

"Our job is to protect lives and my goal is to make sure everyone was out of the building," Hammonds said.

Without a hardhat, wearing only his police uniform, he braved the smoke, knocking on every apartment door he came across.

"Smoke actually overwhelmed me. I came out, tried to update dispatch, which in turn updated the fire department," he said.

While more crews were on the way, Hammonds saw two people run out of the burning building. Thinking more could still be inside, he pushed any hesitation aside.

"It happened so quick, I just went back in with out even thinking," Hammonds said. "It probably wasn't the smartest thing to go back in the second time, but instincts I guess took over."

Within minutes, Hammonds knew staying inside could cost him his life.

"All the sudden it just went black, almost as if the power just turned off. That's when the smoke just kind of overwhelmed me, came over me, and that's when I realized it wasn't the power. It was the black smoke."

With one last door knock, he made a break for the exit, and the ambulance he'd called for the people who lived in the building took him away instead.

Hours later, he was back on scene after a quick hospital stay. Hammonds said he was tired, but grateful that his minor injuries were the worst to come out of such a devastating fire.

"As far as I know everyone's out nobody was hurt," he said.

Investigators say the fire was an accident. It started in an upstairs apartment after a heater caught a pillow on fire.