MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (WXYZ) — Macomb County sheriff's deputies Zachary Deng, Johnathon Korte and Thomas Bartoli, are being hailed as heroes for saving two people from a house fire Wednesday.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies arrived on scene around 1:24 a.m. to the home on Leanna Dr. in Macomb Township.
Deputies say Deng was the first to arrive and saw flames through the closed front door window. According to the sheriff's office, he directed one person to leave the home and then saw another man in a chair engulfed in flames.
Then, deputies say, he tried to smother the fire with a blanket but was unsuccessful.
That's when Korte and Bartoli arrived with fire extinguishers to extinguish the chair and flames.
"The men and women of the sheriffs office, they’re the best. They come to work everyday not knowing what’s going to be in front of them and they react and take care of business and in this situation saved lives," said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham.
The deputies were battling smoke the entire time, and they say one of them had to leave the home because he was unable to breathe, and another deputy took over, extinguishing the flames as the fire department arrived on scene.
“I sincerely commend the valiant efforts of these Deputies in this life-threatening situation,” said Wickersham. “They acted swiftly and selflessly, preventing an even greater tragedy from occurring.”
The two people inside of the home at the time of the fire were taken to local hospitals for treatment. A man is currently listed in stable condition and a female was released.
Michael Laskowski lives next door and says he was shocked to see first responders lining the block this morning.
"We were pretty much lined up all the way down here, all the way through there with first responders, police, ambulance, firemen," Laskowski said as he described the police scene.
Laskowski says he's known his neighbor, who he did not identify for privacy reasons, for years.
"I cut his grass all the time for him. They’re super nice sweet people. I’ve known him forever," he said. "It’s really sad."
Wickersham says their preliminary investigation shows the fire may have started after the homeowner fell asleep while smoking a cigarette. Investigators believe the cigarette may have ignited a blanket or article of clothing.
Neighbors say the man who caught fire is disabled and uses a wheelchair which likely made it impossible for him to get any refuge from the flames.
Deputies Deng, Korte and Bartoli were treated for smoke inhalation and later released. All three sheriff's deputies are expected to receive official awards from the department.
Neighbors also add that the family had a small black cat that got out at the time of the fire. They ask anyone who may have seen it to knock on a few doors in 46400 block of Leanna Dr so the animal can be returned.
