LIVONIA, Mich. – Three Livonia teenagers who happened to drive past a house fire earlier this week sprang into action and helped escort the residents to safety, officials said.
Ethan Morche, Chase Adams, and Colin Anderson noticed smoke coming from the roof of a home at 3:52 p.m. Monday (Aug. 29) as they drove past on Ellen Drive in Livonia, according to authorities.
They stopped the car, and Chase and Ethan called 911, officials said.
Someone inside the home was shouting, so Chase and Ethan tried to get inside the front door, police said. They couldn’t get in, so they went around back and found an unlocked sliding door, according to authorities.
Colin stayed outside to tell Livonia firefighters that there were people inside, including his two friends, police said.
Chase helped one of the occupants exit the home, according to officials. When he called out to Ethan and didn’t get a response, he went back inside and helped escort another person to safety, authorities said.
“We couldn’t be more proud of these young men who remained calm, did the right thing, and were directly responsible for saving the lives of two of their neighbors,” Livonia Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Jennison said. “They could have just drove by, but instead, they decided to take action, and stopped this incident from becoming a tragedy resulting in loss of life.”
The teenagers and residents were treated for minor smoke inhalation and released at the scene, officials said.
You can see a neighbor’s doorbell video of the rescue below.