Two young brothers trapped in a burning Orion Township home last Friday evening were rescued by an Oakland County Sheriff’s deputy through a second-story window, officials said.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and Orion Township firefighters responded to a reported residential structure fire in the 2900 block of Meadowbrook Court, shortly before 5 p.m. on July 10. A 911 caller reported that two children were trapped on the second floor and couldn’t escape, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputy Brandon Musse was the first deputy to arrive on the scene and immediately saw the two boys at an upstairs window as smoke filled the home, the sheriff’s office said. He positioned a trash receptacle beneath the window to climb up and help the children out of the window and down to the ground, the sheriff’s office said. Orion Township firefighters entered the home and rescued the family dog and extinguished the fire before it spread further, the sheriff’s office said.
Paramedics transported the children, ages 12 and 10, to Trinity Health Oakland Hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation and then released.
Screenshot from drone video showing deputy rescuing kids from burning residence (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office)
“This incident could have had a far different outcome,” Sheriff Mike Bouchard stated in a news release. “Deputy Musse immediately recognized that every second mattered. His ability to rapidly assess the situation, improvise with the tools available and act without hesitation allowed these two young boys to escape what could have become a tragic situation. His actions exemplify the courage, professionalism and commitment our deputies demonstrate every day.”
As further stated in the news release: “The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office commends the coordinated response of Deputy Musse, responding deputies and the Orion Township Fire Department, whose swift actions helped ensure the children and the family’s dog were safely rescued.”
The fire remains under investigation.
A few years age, Bouchard honored Musse with a lifesaving citation for performing CPR during a wedding banquet on the mother of the groom who had collapsed and stopped breathing. Paramedics arrived and transported the woman to an area hospital where she recovered.
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