STERLING HEIGHTS – On Thursday, John Nowak returned to his mother's home in Sterling Heights since a fire on April 2 took the 93-year-old woman's life.
"We were met with heavy smoke and fire at the front door," said firefighter Lance Stevens.
Stevens was able to fight his way through the smoke and fire to find Marcella Nowak and pulled her from the building.
She was given medical treatment at the scene and taken to a hospital, where she later died.
After paramedics took her away, Stevens noticed an American flag covered in soot. He rolled it up and took it with him.
Another firefighter cleaned the flag and the department returned it to John Nowak, unaware Marcella Nowak flew the flag every day.
The flag was an important symbol for the family and was flown every day in memory of her husband, who was an infantryman in World War II. Additionally, John Nowak and his brother, Tom, fought in Vietnam.
The family's flag meant more to the Nowaks than the Sterling Heights Fire Department knew.
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