Construction workers save woman, child and dog from burning mobile home; arson suspected
MICHIGAN CITY — The quick actions of a construction crew pouring cement driveways nearby may have saved the lives of a woman, a 4-year-old boy and a dog inside a mobile home set ablaze in what police suspect was arson.
Still, 67-year-old construction worker Pat O’Brien of Michigan City said he doesn’t consider himself or his colleagues heroes.
“I don’t know about that," he said. "I think instinct takes over. We just did whatever we had to do.”
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Michigan City Fire Department spokesperson Tia Free said firefighters responded about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday to Dunewood Village Mobile Home Community along Indiana 212 on the city’s far east side. A caller had reported a residence on fire.
Before firefighters arrived, O’Brien said he and two crew members were pouring cement and heard glass breaking then saw smoke and flames coming from the single-wide mobile home.
He said they ran over and started yelling in hopes of drawing the attention of anyone who might be inside. They also opened the front door to try to go inside, he said, but were driven away by intense heat and heavy smoke.
O’Brien said they started breaking windows out of the home and continued to scream when they heard what sounded like someone inside the dwelling.
He said about half of the home was on fire, with flames reaching about 10 feet high when, suddenly, a woman approached one of the broken windows.
The men reached in and grabbed her then carried the woman out through the broken window at the rear of the home.
Moments later, O’Brien said, a very frightened-looking boy with soot on his face came to another broken window a short distance away. The workers also guided him through the opening in the window frame.
After the boy nodded his head that he was thirsty, O’Brien said, he ran to his truck and grabbed a bottle of water for him to drink.
“He was in shock, I’m sure," O'Brien said. "He was shaking pretty good."
The dog was also rescued through a broken window, according to O'Brien.
Firefighters arrived a short time later.
“If we had waited for the fire department, I don’t think they would have made it,” O’Brien said.
Free said the 77-year old woman, Sandra Root, was airlifted from Franciscan Health in Michigan City to a burn unit in Fort Wayne. She suffered burns to the inside of her throat from breathing heated air, Free said.
Free said the boy was treated at a local hospital for undisclosed minor injuries and later released.
The name of the boy was not released.
Authorities said the unharmed dog was placed into the custody of Michigan City Animal Control.
The mobile home was considered a total loss.
“There’s not much left inside of it," Free said. "It was pretty far gone when we got there.”
According to police, the initial findings of the ongoing investigation revealed the fire was intentionally set. Police did not shed light on exactly how they believe the fire was started.
Local law enforcement detectives and investigators from the fire department are working together on the case, police said.
The Michigan City Police Department is asking residents in the area to check their home surveillance cameras for any footage of the suspect or suspicious activity.
The timeframe on video to check would be from about 7 a.m. that morning until the fire was reported.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Melissa Sopher at (219) 874-3221 Ext. 1049 or email her at msopher@emichigancity.com.
Police can also be contacted on Facebook Messenger and the department’s crime tip hotline at (219) 873-1488.
“You can always request to remain anonymous,” said Lt. Steve Westphal, Commander of the Division of Professional Standards at the department.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Workers save woman, child, dog from fire, investigators suspect arson
