STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Officers from the Sterling Heights Police Department were able to save a man and his three dogs from a house fire that happened over the weekend.
VIDEO: Body Cam footage shows Sterling Heights officer saving man from house fire
A spokesperson for the department tells us it happened around 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at a home in the 38000 block of Trafalgar Way.
Police tell us the fire broke out in the kitchen before quickly spreading over the home. Officer Jesse Ingrum, one of the first to arrive at the scene, heard the man, Shaun Sprinkle, calling for help from the back of the house. He proceeded to kick in the rear door, where he found Sprinkle disoriented and bleeding from the head.
Ingrum helped him to his feet and got him out of the home safely. While this happened, officers found Sprinkle's three dogs and got them out of the home safely as well.
Sprinkle is still reeling from what happened.
"It feels like a nightmare, I’m waiting to wake up," he says. "Very traumatizing."
He says he was in the backyard with the three dogs when he went to walk in the back door and saw smoke inside. One of the dogs bolted inside and he ran in after them.
"I went to go up the stairs, I’m not sure if I got dizzy, or slipped on something, but next thing I know I’m just laying on the stairs," he says. "I felt helpless because I couldn’t get off the floor to open the door."
He was banging on the wall, calling for help when the fire department showed up.
"If nobody was here, I don’t know how I would have got out because I could not get up," Sprinkle says.
The fire department was able to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby homes. They say it broke out in the kitchen. Sprinkle says the damage is spread throughout the house.
"My daughter’s room is pink and if you look through the window you just see black streaks going down the wall," he says.
Sprinkle says the kitchen is destroyed and toys and clothing are lost. He, his wife, and their two young children, Joesph and Kinsley, are living in a motel - a difficult transition for Joesph who has autism.
"When my son gets in an environment and adapts to it, it’s a nightmare trying to get him somewhere else," Sprinkle says.
The family has started a GoFundMe because they are unsure of how much help insurance will be. He say he is eternally grateful to Sterling Heights Police for rescuing his dogs.
"It means everything to me," he says. "It would be like losing one of my kids. They’re family."
“I commend my officers for their quick thinking and selflessness, said Sterling Heights police Chief Dale Dwojakowski in a statement. "Their actions undoubtedly saved a man and his dogs lives. They acted with courage and determination, putting their own safety at risk to protect others. I’m proud of the officers heroic efforts and grateful that all involved were able to escape the incident safely”.
