2 Children, Firefighter Hospitalized After Macomb County Fire

MACOMB COUNTY, MI — Two children, a Macomb County Sheriff's deputy and a firefighter were hospitalized following an apartment fire in Macomb County's village of New Haven early Thursday morning.

A Macomb County Sheriff's deputy first discovered heavy smoke coming from one of the end apartments in the rear of the complex around 5:50 a.m., the sheriff's office said. The deputy called for assistance and began evacuating residents, according to a news release.

Deputies said they entered the first floor of the two-story building and were immediately met with a wall a smoke. A 32-year-old Detroit man and his three children were found in a first floor apartment and removed from the building without injury, deputies said.

Deputies said they climbed a maintenance ladder to get onto the roof of the building, where they broke a window to get into a second floor apartment where a 33-year-old woman and her two children were sleeping upstairs.

Fire crews arrived on the scene and were able to help rescue to woman and her children, deputies said. While safely removed from the building, deputies said the trio suffered from smoke inhalation. They were taken to a local hospital, deputies said.

A 22-year veteran of the sheriff's office was also hospitalized for severe smoke inhalation, deputies said. A firefighter was also hospitalized, according to reports from WXYZ.

"I am very proud of the heroic actions taken by these deputies," Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said. "They acted with swiftness and selflessness, putting the lives of the citizens they serve and protect every day before their own."

The cause of the fire is under investigation, deputies said.