Updated: Muskegon firefighters & police officers save three children trapped in house fire

Muskegon firefighters and police officers rescued three children trapped in a house fire at 1246 Emerson Ave. a little after 2am Saturday morning, police and fire officials said.

Muskegon police officers were dispatched to the fire at 2:09am Saturday morning, when they found a 16-year-old male “in the house and unable to leave due to the fire,” Muskegon Police Capt. Shawn Bride wrote to the Muskegon Times. The officers were able to get the 16-year-old to hang out of a second-story window and caught him as he let go, Bride said.

At 2:10am, the Muskegon Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and arrived just as the police were catching the falling teen, the Muskegon Professional Firefighters Union – IAFF Local 370 said. The other two children, 13- and 11-year-old females, were safely evacuated after being stuck on the roof, according to Bride. They were rescued with the assistance of two neighbors, Bride said.

The children were not injured, according to police.

After rescuing the children, firefighters entered the home “under heavy smoke conditions and located a fire on the first floor,” the firefighters’ union said.

“The fire was knocked down, and a primary search was completed with no additional victims located,” the union said. “Crews remained on scene for some time to perform salvage and overhaul.”

An origin for the fire is not yet known.

Firefighters and police expressed gratitude for each other’s departments, saying they played crucial roles in bringing the children to safety.

“Muskegon firefighters were amazing in limiting the fire damage and preventing the fire from spreading,” Bride wrote.

The firefighters union wrote, “To the MPD officers who responded, great job and thank you!”

In addition to the Muskegon Fire Department and Muskegon Police Department, ProMed Ambulance and DTE Energy assisted at the scene.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.