By Christine Ferretti
The Detroit News
NOVI, Mich. — Public safety officials are working to determine the cause of a Tuesday night blaze that injured two firefighters and left a 56-year-old disabled man in critical condition.
Novi Public Safety Director David Molloy said authorities received multiple 911 calls shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday alerting them of the fire that had engulfed the 4,000-square-foot colonial at 24144 Wintergreen St.
Molloy said firefighters were on the scene within minutes and initiated a rescue after learning the disabled male homeowner was trapped inside.
Molloy said firefighters found the man on a family-room floor on the main level of the home near a dining room. Molloy said as the team removed the man from the front entrance, the roof began to collapse.
The man was transported to the University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center in Ann Arbor. Molloy declined to release the victim’s name.
“All the firefighters did a phenomenal job,” Molloy said. “If not for their efforts in rescuing this gentleman, he would have perished in this fire. I’m very proud of each and every one of them.”
Molloy said two firefighters were injured in the rescue. One, a veteran of more than 20 years, remains hospitalized at St. John Providence Park in Novi with heat exhaustion. He was expected to be released later Wednesday. A second firefighter, with less than two years on the job, was treated for a hand injury. The names of the injured firefighters are being withheld.
Molloy said fire investigators are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Interviews with relatives, neighbors and witnesses are ongoing, he said.
The man was the only occupant of the home when the fire occurred. His wife had been out doing errands, Molloy said.
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