Clinton Township

Firefighter rescues child from burning trailer home

By Nico Rubello
C & G Staff Writer

A 3-year-old boy was listed in critical condition after a firefighter rescued him from a burning Clinton Township manufactured home the morning of June 24.

As of June 25, the boy was still listed in critical condition, according to a spokeswoman for Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

The other six people residing at the home escaped unharmed thanks largely to a functioning smoke alarm, said Fire Marshal Steve Conroy. Family members were not able to get to the boy, he said.

The fire occurred in the manufactured home community of Home Town Clinton, near Clinton River Road and Hayes, according to a press release from Clinton Township Fire-Rescue-EMS.

Firefighters arriving on the scene found the home to be about 50 percent involved in fire, the release said.

“(Firefighters) weren’t able to make entry through the front or side door,” Conroy said.

While firefighters readied a hose, acting Lt. Paul Brouwer was boosted through the window of a bedroom where the child was said to be. Police officers and a neighbor assisted him.

Once inside, Brouwer wasn’t able to see or breathe due to smoke, Conroy said. He put on a mask and felt around until he located the boy in bed.

He handed the child out the window. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, and was later transferred to Children’s Hospital of Michigan.

“The immediate priority was obviously the rescue,” Conroy added. “Right away they went and did the rescue. … Then the firefight began.”

Conroy said the fire did not appear to be suspicious.

The smoke alarm, he said, made all the difference. “Without that I don’t think anybody would have gotten out,” he said.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Nico Rubello at nrubello@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.