Firefighters Call Fond du Lac 9-Year-Old "Hero" after Saving Family From Fire

On Christmas morning at 3:19  AM the Fond du Lac Fire Department responded to a report of a basement fire at 473 South Park Avenue. On arrival crews found moderate smoke coming from the first floor rear door of a two story wood framed house. The structure was a duplex style unit with tenants occupying the second floor and the owner occupying the first floor. The upstairs tenants were not home at the time of the incident. 

A 9-year-old was sleeping on first floor living room couch when he saw smoke. He quickly alerted his parents of the fire and all three evacuated safely.

No working smoke detectors were found in the basement or first floor of the structure. “This could have been disastrous situation if the 9-year-old had not awakened” stated Assistant Chief Steve Beer. “I would consider him a true hero in this situation.”

Fire crews extinguished and contained the fire to the area of origin in the basement. Fond du Lac Fire crews remained on the scene for approximately 90 minutes. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.