Ferndale Firefigther Gets Kids Out, Watches His House Burn

FERNDALE, MI – A Ferndale firefighter is a victim of cruel irony.

Michael Szymanski puts his life on the line by running inside infernos to rescue people who may be trapped inside.

On Saturday, it was his house in Lapeer that was burning, and his son and an 8-year-old family friend who were trapped inside. His firefighter instincts kicked in and he got the kids and some family pets to safety before flames engulfed the house.

“The whole thing must have been a minute,” Szymanski told WJBK-TV. “I ran from the bedroom to the fire extinguisher, to the kids, got them out, ran back, ran out, and it was done. It was that quick.”

Szymanski was using a blowtorch to repair a pipe leak when the fire started. He said the experience reinforces the importance of getting kids and others to safety before trying to control the fire.

“We always tell people you can try to stop a small fire with an extinguisher,” he said. “But with my experience now, just get your family out. If this was something different, if these kids had been sleeping, it would have been different fast.”

The Red Cross is assisting Szymanski and his 8-year-old son. a GoFund

Since the fire, Szymanski says he and his 8-year-old son are working to put their lives back together and for now are being assisted by The Red Cross.

The house was a total loss, nearly all of the contents were ruined and he and his son left the home with little more than the clothes on their backs, a family friend, Andrew Belanger, wrote on a GoFundMe page to help the family.

Asking for help isn’t easy for the firefighter.

“Please be aware that he is stressing that everyone is made aware that he is having difficulty asking for charity,” Belanger wrote, “but realizes at this point that the situation is overwhelming and help is very much appreciated.”