WATCH: Burning man rescued by Macomb County Sheriff's deputies
MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Macomb County Sheriff's deputies kicked in the door of a home and rescued a 74-year-old man who was on fire early Wednesday.
According to the sheriff's office, Deputy Zachary Deng arrived at the home in the 46400 block of Leanna Drive in Macomb Township just before 1:30 a.m. and saw flames through the door. He kicked the door until he finally got inside.
Once inside, he saw a man sitting in a chair engulfed in flames. He also saw a woman in the home and told her to leave.
The woman was the victim's 42-year-old daughter, according to Macomb County's sheriff office.
Deng then attempted to smother the fire with a blanket, but it didn't quell the flames.
Deputies Johnathon Korte and Thomas Bartoli arrived next and went inside the smoke-filled home to help. As the deputies struggled to breathe through the thick smoke, Deng began sweeping the chair with a fire extinguisher. He then had to leave the house because of breathing difficulty.
Korte took over sweeping the fire with the extinguisher while another deputy removed the family dog named Keeva from the home. Bartoli then took over spraying the first fire extinguisher and extinguished the remaining flames as Macomb Fire arrived.
The fire was allegedly caused after the victim fell asleep while smoking, igniting a blanket, according to preliminary information.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he is listed as stable. The woman was treated and released. All three deputies were also seen for smoke inhalation and were released.
"I sincerely commend the valiant efforts of these deputies in this life-threatening situation," said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham. "They acted swiftly and selflessly, preventing an even greater tragedy from occurring."