By EMS1 Staff
DETROIT — Two EMTs were praised for saving nine people from a suspicious house fire Tuesday.
EMTs Brian Schimanski and Christopher Mateja arrived at the scene before fire crews, who were on another call, reported FOX2 Detroit. They used a fire extinguisher to battle the flames and banged on the doors to wake up inhabitants.
“Finally someone answered and we told them their house was on fire,” Mateja said. “She told us that there were young children in the house … I grabbed a couple kids out of the back room, ran out of the house with them.”
The duo was able to evacuate all nine occupants in the house without injury. They said had they arrived any later, the outcome could have been different.
“They risked their lives -- they didn’t have on gear like firefighters and got victims out of the house,” Deputy Fire Commissioner David Fornell said. “We’re just so proud of them.”
The fire is under investigation as a possible arson.