LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Two Louisville Metro Police officers are being called "heroic" for their efforts to save an Old Louisville man's life.

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Officer David Graham and Sgt. Stuart Hamilton responded to a fire on Sunday, Oct. 5 at an apartment building in the 1300 block of South Second Street.

"I happened to be on the next street right around the corner," said Graham. "I called in and said I was ready to go in."

When Graham arrived at the scene, he said witnesses told him people were trapped inside the four-story brownstone. The seven-year veteran said he immediately went for the door.

"I really didn't give it much thought at the time," he said. "People are in there. My first reaction was to try to get in there if we can and get them out."

Hamilton arrived at the scene seconds later and joined Graham inside the smoke-filled building.

"We went inside," he said. "We could see fine on the first floor, but we went up the steps, you couldn't see a foot in front of you."

Graham said he was breathing in smoke and trying to get his bearings when someone told them there was a person stranded in one of the apartments.

"We found him disoriented, grabbed a hold of him, got him down the steps and out the door," said Hamilton.

Christian Berrara lives across the hall from where the fire broke out.

"He could have died and he didn't because of them," said Berrara. "That's pretty good in my book."

Both officers said they would take the same action again if confronted by a similar situation.

"I don't think I'm much of a hero," said Graham. "Public safety is one of the things we do. This was just another arm of public safety."

"Everything turned out well," said Hamilton. "When something like that happens you just react."

A spokesman for the Louisville Division of Fire said a stove caused the fire. WLKY has been told the rescued man has recovered from his injuries.